Grumman GA7 accident near Ellicott, NY

On November 1, 2020, a Grumman GA7 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ellicott, NY. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

November 1, 2020

Place

Ellicott, NY

Aircraft

Grumman GA7 · Airplane

Injuries

3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

42.161°N, 79.240°W

NTSB ID

20201102102223

Official records · ERA21LA035

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

Air traffic control records

• Air Traffic Control - Attachment 4 - East Radar Position Audio Recording: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
• Air Traffic Control - Attachment 5 - Erie Radar Position Audio Recording: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
• Air Traffic Control - Attachment 6 - Ground Control Position Audio Recording: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
• Recorded Audio Of ATC Communications From Buffalo Approach (37 Minutes, Wav Format, 68 Mb): Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
• Air Traffic Control Specialist Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 1, 2020, about 1748 eastern daylight time, a Grumman American GA-7, N791GA, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Ellicott, New York. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was based at Chautauqua County/Jamestown Airport (JHW), Jamestown, New York. The pilot rented the airplane and flew uneventfully from JHW to Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport (BUY), Burlington, North Carolina, on October 28, 2020. According to the pilot’s flight instructor, they spoke via telephone before the accident flight and discussed weather decisions and avoiding icing conditions. The instructor then checked a commercial website and realized that the pilot had departed on the return flight to JHW. He hoped that the pilot would divert and sent him a text message to that effect. The instructor subsequently drove to the airport and listened to air traffic control communications as well as common traffic advisory frequency communication (CTAF). The instructor did not hear any communications on the CTAF and added that the weather conditions were conducive to in-flight icing. According to air traffic control data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a controller asked for a pilot report while the airplane was in-bound to JHW. The pilot did not report ice accumulation, but reported being in and out of clouds, updrafts, downdrafts, snow, and light-to-moderate turbulence. The pilot requested and was cleared for the RNAV RWY 2

Probable cause

The pilot’s continued descent below the minimum descent altitude while conducting an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

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Browse: New York · Grumman 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.