Date & Time:
Oct 31, 1992 at 0815 LT
Type of aircraft:
Piper PA-42 Cheyenne
Registration:
N250TJ
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Moab - Grand Junction
MSN:
42-8001024
YOM:
1980
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
2
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
3
Aircraft flight hours:
4784
Circumstances:
The commuter air carrier departed Moab, Utah, and flew to Grand Junction, CO, via rnav direct Macks intersection. After crossing macks intersection, the airplane turned right but instead of intercepting the localizer course, the airplane continued on a slightly divergent track to the east of the localizer. The pilot told control tower personnel, 'I'm showing twelve miles out on the ILS...getting real...erroneous signal, here. Any complaints?' the pilot was advised no difficulty reports had been received. The airplane impacted a mesa one minute later about five miles to the left of the localizer course. The cockpit was destroyed and no meaningful information was obtained from the navigational radios. All of the airport's navigational aids were later flight checked and no discrepancies were found. Although Vmc prevailed at the airport, the accident site was above the reported ceiling height. All three occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Improper ifr procedure and resultant disorientation which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Final Report:
N250TJ.pdf89.21 KB