Raytheon Aircraft Company C90A accident near Mount Airy, NC
On February 1, 2008, a Raytheon Aircraft Company C90A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Mount Airy, NC. 6 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 1, 2008
- Place
- Mount Airy, NC
- Aircraft
- Raytheon Aircraft Company C90A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 6 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.463°N, 80.551°W
- NTSB ID
- 20080211X00169
Official records · NYC08MA090
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC 3 - ATC Radar Study: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 1, 2008, about 1128 eastern standard time, a Raytheon Aircraft Company C90A, N57WR, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during a missed approach following an instrument approach to the Mount Airy/Surry County Airport (MWK), Mount Airy, North Carolina. The certificated commercial pilot, pilot rated passenger, and four passengers were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight, which departed Polk County Airport/Cornelius Moore Field (4A4), Cedartown, Georgia. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. According to witness statements, rain, low ceilings, and fog were present in the local area. The pilot was first heard to check in on the MWK common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF), and announce “final 36, Mount Airy.” The airplane was then observed to “break out of the clouds” at approximately 500 feet above ground level (agl), in close proximity to the airport, and then descend “rapidly” for about 200 feet. It was then observed to “side step” to the left of the runway, and fly parallel to it for its entire length. The airplane then made a “hard” left turn at the end of the runway and climbed into the “fog.” A few minutes later, it came out of the bottom of the clouds in a nose down attitude, disappeared behind trees east of the airport and the sound of impact was heard. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control (ATC) voice and radar data, the airplane departed
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane in instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's improper decision to descend below the minimum descent altitude, and failure to follow the published missed approach procedure.
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Browse: North Carolina · Raytheon aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
