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| Date: | Wednesday 16 October 1985 |
| Time: | 23:01 LT |
| Type: |  Mitsubishi MU-2B-20 |
| Owner/operator: | Air Exchange Inc. |
| Registration: | N23CD |
| MSN: | 142 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1969 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4616 hours |
| Engine model: | GARRETT TPE3311151A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | El Paso, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | ALBUQUERQUE (KABQ) |
| EL PASO (KELP) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE PLT CANCELED HIS IFR FLT PLAN AND ATTEMPTED TO FLY VFR AT A RELATIVELY LOW ALT OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WITH LOW SCATTERED CLOUDS ON A DARK NIGHT. HE REPORTED A LARGE LIGHTED AREA AS BEING DOWNTOWN EL PASO WHEN IN REALITY IT WAS MOST LIKELY CORONADO HILLS, A DEVELOPMENT ON THE WEST SIDE OF FRANKLIN MOUNTAIN LOCATED APRX 4 MILES NORTH OF THE SOUTH END OF THE MOUNTAIN. THIS WAS PROBABLY DUE TO HAVING JUST DESCENDED FROM IFR CONDITIONS INTO VFR CONDITIONS. HIS FAMILIARITY WITH THE AREA, COMBINED WITH HIS METHOD OF FLT OPERATION (AS RELATED BY A PROFESSIONAL AQUAINTANCE), PROBABLY GAVE A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY AND OVER CONFIDENCE IN HIS PERSONAL ABILITY.
Probable Cause:
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB FTW86FA015
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 13-Apr-2025 17:43 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ] |
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