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| Date: | Friday 9 December 1988 |
| Time: | 07:21 |
| Type: |  Mitsubishi MU-2B-35 |
| Owner/operator: | Auto Search Pty Ltd |
| Registration: | N296MA |
| MSN: | 592 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1973 |
| Engine model: | GARRETT TPE-331 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Aircraft missing, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 370 mls ENE of Cairns, Australia -
 Pacific Ocean
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Majuro, MH (MAJU) |
| Cairns, Australia | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
DURING A FLT AT NIGHT FROM MAJURO, MARSHALL ISLANDS TO CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA, THE PLT REQUESTED A DSCNT FROM FL190 TO 12,000 TO REMOVE ICE FROM THE AIRFRAME. LATER, HE REQUESTED A CLIMB TO FL 200. AFTER STARTING THE CLIMB, HE MADE A MAYDAY CALL TO SIDNEY FLT SERVICE & RPRTD THE ACFT WAS IN AN UNCTLD DSCNT. NO FURTHER TRANSMISSION WAS RCVD FROM THE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS PRESUMED TO HAVE CRASHED AT SEA, ABOUT 370 MI ENE OF CAIRNS. NEITHER THE ACFT NOR THE PLT WAS FND. THUNDERSTORMS WERE RPRTD IN THE AREA & THE PLT RPRTD BEING IN THE CLOUDS DURING AN EARLIER DSCNT TO 12,000'.
AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT WAS BEING FERRIED FM TULSA, OK. A PREVIOUS PLT, WHO FLEW IT TO OAKLAND, REFUSED TO CONT THE FLT DUE TO A CABIN PRESSURIZATION PROBLEM. A 2ND PLT, WHO WAS GOING TO CONT THE FLT, RTRND TO OAKLAND & LNDD THE ACFT IN AN OVER WT COND, WHICH RESULTED IN STRUCTURAL DMG. A 3RD PLT CONTD THE FLT, MAKING STOPS IN HAWAII & THE MARSHALL ISLANDS.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001213X27402
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 30-Mar-2016 12:42 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, ] |
| 07-Dec-2016 19:41 | wf | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 04-Aug-2017 08:07 | TB | Updated [Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 10-May-2025 17:32 | ASN | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Damage, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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