Zone
Maine

Crash of a Beechcraft C99 Airliner in Litchfield: 2 killed

Date & Time: Aug 22, 2023 at 1741 LT
Type of aircraft:
Beechcraft 99 Airliner
Operator:
Registration:
N55RP
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Auburn - Auburn
MSN:
U-198
YOM:
1982
Flight number:
WIG634
Location:
Litchfield
Maine
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The crew departed Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport on a local training mission under callsign WIG634. After making a circuit over Sebago Lake located southwest of the airport, the crew continued to the northeast when control was lost. The airplane entered a descent with a rate of 7,300 feet per minute until it crashed in a wooded area located near Mt Oak Hill, about 25 km northeast of Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport. The airplane was destroyed and both occupants were killed.

Crash of a Beechcraft 99 Airliner in Auburn: 8 killed

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1985 at 2205 LT
Type of aircraft:
Beechcraft 99 Airliner
Operator:
Registration:
N300WP
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Boston - Auburn
MSN:
U-22
YOM:
1968
Flight number:
QO1808
Location:
Auburn-Lewiston
Maine
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Captain / Total flying hours:
5153
Captain / Total hours on type:
4467.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1453
Copilot / Total hours on type:
153
Aircraft flight hours:
30335
Circumstances:
Flight 1808 took off from Boston runway 04L at 21:30 for a flight to Auburn. Clearance was received of 7000 feet and to contact Portland Approach Control. Portland Approach cleared Flight 1808 at 21:58 for a runway 04 ILS approach. Three minutes later the controller noticed that Flight 1808 was east of course and asked if the it was receiving the Lewiston localizer. The captain replied that they hadn't and were given instructions to turn left heading 340. A left turn to 354° started and the aircraft passed Lewie Outer Marker (LOM) at 165 knots, 2,600 feet (30 knots too fast and 600 feet too high). At 22:02 the aircraft exited the left side of the localizer, still at a 354° heading. The crew then tried to capture the glide slope and enter the localizer again until it entered the left side of the localizer (22:04:08) and descended through the bottom boundary of the glide slope. At ca 22:04:16 the aircraft struck trees 4,007 feet short of the runway and 440 feet right of the extended centreline, continued 737 feet and struck level ground in nearly an inverted attitude. One of the passengers killed in the crash was American schoolgirl, peace activist and child actress Samantha Smith. She was returning to Auburn with her father after taking part to a TV movie in Boston.
Probable cause:
The captain's continuation of an unstabilized approach which resulted in a descent below glide slope. Contributing to the unstabilized approach was the radar controller's issuance and the captain's acceptance of a non-standard air traffic control radar vector resulting in an excessive intercept with the localizer.
Final Report:
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