Piper PA44 accident near Houlton, ME

On August 27, 2015, a Piper PA44 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Houlton, ME. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

August 27, 2015

Place

Houlton, ME

Aircraft

Piper PA44 · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

46.101°N, 67.804°W

NTSB ID

20150827X03425

Official records · ERA15FA326

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Air Traffic Control Factual Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Air Traffic Control ZBW Facility Log: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 27, 2015, about 0200 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-44-180, N553MD, was destroyed by impact following a collision with trees and terrain during an instrument approach procedure to Houlton International Airport (HUL), Houlton, Maine. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The flight departed Goose Bay Airport (CYYR), Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, about 2115. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The accident flight was the third leg of a ferry flight that originated from Keflavik International Airport (BIKF), Keflavik, Iceland, on August 26, 2015, about 0428. The airplane was scheduled to be delivered by the pilot to a customer in Merritt Island, Florida, on the day of the accident. As the airplane approached HUL, the pilot contacted the Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center controller and requested vectors to AHOLA, which was the final approach fix (FAF) for the RNAV (GPS) RWY 5 approach at HUL. Over the next several minutes, the controller explained that the pilot could not proceed directly to the FAF, but must choose between two different initial approach fixes (WATAN or CIYEP) in order to establish the airplane on the approach. Ultimately, the airplane was instructed to maintain 3,500 feet mean sea level (msl) until it reached CIYEP, and was cleared for the approach. The airplane descended to about 3,000 feet msl, crossed CIYEP, reversed course, and tracked approximately

Probable cause

The pilot's descent below the published minimum descent altitude in night instrument meteorological conditions without visual contact with the runway environment, which resulted in a collision with trees and terrain short of the runway. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's acute fatigue and his decision to attempt an instrument approach procedure that was not authorized at night.

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Browse: Maine · Piper aircraft

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.