NTSB: Pilot's ‘improper decision' caused Mount Equinox crash
MANCHESTER, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – The small plane crash on Mount Equinox back in February was likely caused by a pilot's 'improper decision' making skills, according to the NTSB's report.
Investigators wrote that the pilot altered his course, attempted to fly low and avoid clouds, then climb above them because of a perceived, rapid change in weather. As the Piper PA-28 entered clouds, icing occurred which caused it to stall, spin and crash.
This pilot did not hold an instrument rating, meaning he was not qualified to fly using only instruments in poor low-visibility conditions. NTSB investigators also detail that he 'was aware that they were near the VFR [visual flight rules], but he elected to continue the flight.'
The plane crashed into four feet of snow at an elevation of over 3,000 feet February 26. Manchester First Assistant Chief Jamie Greene suggested that the pilot and two passengers were 'cushioned' by snow. All of them suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
NTSB determined the probably cause was 'The pilot's improper decision to continue the visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
NTSB: Helicopter in crash that killed 2 near Deadhorse received weather clearance
Jun. 5—The helicopter that crashed on the North Slope on Wednesday received a special weather clearance before taking off, federal officials say. The pilot and sole passenger were killed in the crash, which occurred 25 to 30 miles southwest of Deadhorse, according to a statement from the North Slope Borough. The Robinson R-66 helicopter was operated by Pollux Aviation. A company pilot was behind the controls, along with a passenger from a private company that had contracted the helicopter to conduct wildlife surveys, according to Clint Johnson, Alaska chief with the National Transportation Safety Board. The helicopter took off from Deadhorse around 10:30 or 10:40 a.m., Johnson said. Pollux lost contact with its tracking signal just before 11 a.m., he said. The company contacted the Rescue Coordination Center, which contacted the NTSB, triggering a search by the North Slope Borough Search and Rescue Department, officials said. The search and rescue team confirmed the fatalities. The pilot and passenger have not been officially identified. A North Slope Borough spokesperson on Thursday said there was no new information she could release. Johnson described the topography in the area of the crash as "snow-covered, flat featureless terrain." He said the pilot had received what's known as a Special Visual Flight Rules clearance. The clearance is commonly used, especially in rural Alaska, to land in low ceilings or visibility. Authorized by a national Federal Aviation Administration rule, it gives pilots the option of relying on what they can see, rather than cockpit instruments, to fly in and out of airports in deteriorating weather. The last contact that controllers had with the Pollux pilot Wednesday was when he flew out of the specific zone where the clearance applied, Johnson said. The NTSB will be investigating the weather conditions in the area of the crash, he said. "As far as visibility, other aircraft were operating. Our intent is to figure out in real time what was going on weather-wise," Johnson said. Investigators with the agency plan to conduct an initial on-scene investigation, and then transport the wreckage back to a secure area either in Deadhorse or at Prudhoe Bay, Johnson said.
San Francisco Chronicle
02-06-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Pilot lands small plane in Long Island Sound, calls 911 to report location before rescue
The pilot of a small plane that was about to crash managed to land it safely in the cool, choppy waters of Long Island Sound off Connecticut and called 911 to provide his precise coordinates before the aircraft sank, authorities said Monday. The Coast Guard pulled two people wearing lifejackets from the water shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday, about a half-hour after the plane went down a few miles (kilometers) off the coast of Branford, Connecticut, officials said. The survivors were treated for minor injuries and hypothermia symptoms, and brought to a hospital, the Branford Fire Department said. 'We arrived shortly after the Coast Guard,' Branford Fire Chief Thomas Mahoney said. 'The Coast Guard did a great job in responding to the area, retrieving the people out of the water before things got worse. And the pilot obviously did a really good job of landing the plane in choppy seas. Those outcomes don't always come out as well as this did.' The water temperature at the time was about 60 degrees F (15.6 degrees C), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Mahoney said the seas were a choppy 3 to 6 feet (1 to 2 meters). The single-engine Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six took off from Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, Connecticut, shortly before 10:14 a.m. and was in the air for about 12 minutes when it went down, according to the flight-tracking company FlightAware. About 10 minutes into the flight, the pilot declared an emergency and contacted air traffic controllers in New York, who directed them to try to land about 8 miles (13 kilometers) away at Tweed-New Haven Airport, according to Andrew King, a spokesperson for Avports, which manages Tweed-New Haven. Tweed-New Haven officials prepared a runway for a possible emergency landing. But air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane, King said. Mahoney said after the plane went into the water, the pilot used a cellphone to call 911 and report his plane crashed into Long Island Sound and was taking on water. The aircraft was completely submerged when rescuers arrived. State and federal records indicate the plane is owned by a limited-liability company based in Newtown, Connecticut, and the company's principal is James Edwards. Edwards declined to comment Monday. The crash occurred near Outer Island, an archipelago of about two dozen islands off the Connecticut coast. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was waiting for the recovery of the aircraft to determine the level of damage before deciding whether an NTSB investigation is warranted.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Yahoo
Small plane skids off runway and into Lake Washington
The Renton Police Department says a small plane skidded off the runway and into Lake Washington Sunday afternoon. It happened at the north end of the Renton Airport. The pilot and passenger weren't hurt and were able to climb out of the plane. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have been notified of the crash and will investigate the cause.
