Max discusses a tragic accident that involved a 55-year-old physician who crashed his Beech A36 aircraft, N84R, at Tucker Guthrie Memorial Airport in Harlan, Kentucky, on November 3, 2022. The pilot departed from Knoxville at around 9:32 a.m. with the purpose of attending scheduled appointments at a medical office near the destination airport.
Despite low instrument flight conditions at the time of arrival, the pilot did not file a flight plan, communicate with ATC, or receive a weather briefing before departure. Upon arrival in the airport area, he announced over the CTAF his intention to circle for landing. However, subsequent flight track data revealed that the airplane completed a total of three approaches to the runway, none of which were consistent with the published instrument approach procedure, and all were conducted in low instrument flight conditions.
Witness accounts and flight track data suggested that the pilot routinely landed at the airport under similar weather conditions in the past, displaying a pattern of circling approaches not consistent with published procedures. Additionally, the investigation revealed that the pilot was not instrument current and had a history of conducting circling maneuvers in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) without clearance.
The NTSB’s final report identified the pilot’s hazardous anti-authority attitude as a contributing factor to the accident, along with his decision to fly into IMC without proper clearance or adherence to established procedures. Furthermore, toxicology testing revealed the presence of methamphetamine and phentermine in the pilot’s system, both of which are substances prohibited by the FAA for pilots due to their potential to impair judgment and performance.
The NTSB emphasized the importance of recognizing and countering hazardous attitudes, such as anti-authority, through adherence to regulations and good decision-making practices. It also highlighted the necessity of effective risk management and honest self-assessment, particularly regarding medical fitness and proficiency in flying. Psychological factors such as risk-taking tendencies, normalization of deviance, and overconfidence were also discussed as potential influences on the pilot’s decision-making process.
Ultimately, the probable cause of the accident was determined to be the pilot’s decision to continue visual flight into IMC during an approach to land, resulting in controlled flight into terrain. The NTSB’s findings underscored the critical importance of adherence to regulations, proper training, and vigilant risk management to ensure aviation safety and prevent avoidable accidents.
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