N201RH

HISTORY 0F FLIGHT

On July 31, 2000, about 0034 eastern daylight time (all times are EDT unless otherwise indicated), a DeHavilland Canada DHC-6-200, N201RH, registered to Win Win Aviation Inc., impacted with trees while maneuvering for a landing at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), Raleigh, North Carolina. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. A visual flight rule (VFR) flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight. The airplane was destroyed. The commercial-rated pilot received fatal injuries. Two passengers reported serious injuries. The flight had departed Hinckley, Illinois, en route to Louisburg, North Carolina, about 1910 central daylight time (CDT).

According to a surviving passenger, the purpose of the flight was to bring the airplane to a maintenance facility at Louisburg, to have maintenance performed on the engines. A visual approach was made at Louisburg, but a landing was not completed because of poor visibility due to ground fog. According to the statement of the passenger that was sitting in the co-pilot's seat, "...after trying unsuccessfully to land at 00NC and Franklin County Airport. We were trying to locate RDU. All we could see were city lights and darkness underneath us. We were in a right turn, when I saw the trees and subsequently hit it. I was knocked out for a second and then found myself hanging in the [seat] harness. I undid it and exited the aircraft."

The female passenger was asleep on the floor at the rear of the cabin, there were no seats, and woke up after the impact outside the airplane on the ground.

According to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) summary of flight, at 1053 CDT the pilot of N201RH called the Kankakee AFSS (Automated Flight Service Station) via telephone and requested and received the current local conditions for a skydiving flight at the Hinkley Airport (0C2). The pilot then requested and received an outlook weather briefing for a VFR flight to the Raleigh-Durham Airport (RDU) leaving around 1800 to 2000 CDT. At 1814 CDT, the pilot of N201RH again called the Kankakee AFSS and requested and received a standard weather briefing for a VFR flight from 0C2 airport to 00NC (North Raleigh) airport departing around 2000 CDT. The surface weather at RDU at 1751 CDT, 23 minutes before the pilot called the AFSS, was reported to have been; winds from 130 degrees, at 5 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky conditions, FEW 200 feet, scattered 2,000 feet, broken 20,000 feet; temperature 79 degrees F; Dew point 73 degrees F; and the altimeter 30.35 in Hg. There were no SIGMETS (Significant Meteorological Advisory) for convective activity in the area of RDU, and there were no AIRMETS (Airman's Meteorological Information Network) for turbulence or icing outside convective activity for the area. The pilot received the briefing and then filed a VFR flight plan, which was received and filed by the specialist. At 1913 CDT, the pilot of N201RH called the Kankakee AFSS in-flight one position via radio and activated his VFR flight plan to 00NC and verified three people on board.

The flight continued without incident, and at 0000:15, the pilot of N201RH made initial radio contact with the FAA, Raleigh Approach Control, 37 miles north northwest of RDU at 9,500 feet. He was subsequently instructed to descend VFR at pilot's discretion, report North Raleigh Airport in sight, and he acknowledged. At 0015:47, the pilot reported North Raleigh insight, he was provided the RDU ceiling conditions, radar service was terminated, and a frequency change was approved. About 4 minutes later at 0019:29, the pilot of N201RH re-established contact with the FAA, Raleigh Approach Control, advised that he was unable to land at North Raleigh due to fog, and requested vectors to the Franklin County (LHZ) Airport. The controller advised the pilot that he was below RDU ASR-9 radar coverage, he could not be radar identified, and that they were unable to provide him with general directional guidance to assist in locating LHZ. The pilot stated he would proceed to RDU. The pilot was issued a local discreet beacon code, radar identified at 3,500 feet MSL (mean sea level), heading 243 degrees direct to RDU. At 0027:18, the pilot was advised to descend VFR at pilot's discretion to 2,000 feet; the airport was 12 o'clock and 12 miles. He was instructed to over-fly RDU at 2,000, and the pilot of N201RH responded that he would comply.

The recorded radar data from the FAA, Raleigh Approach Control showed the flight was observed on radar at 0032:21, 1.5 miles east of RDU, at 1,000 feet MSL, heading 243 degrees direct RDU at 121 knots. At 0032:39, 1.13 miles east of RDU, at 900 feet MSL, heading 179 degrees (left turn to the south), away from the airport, at 114 knots. At 0033:16, 1.6 miles east southeast of RDU, at 700 feet MSL, heading 179 degrees, at 89 knots. At 0033:30, 1.86 miles southeast of RDU, at 600 feet MSL, heading 179 degrees at 88 knots. At 0033:35, the last known position of N201RH was 1.95 miles southeast of RDU, at 500 feet MSL (about 100 feet above ground level), heading 206 degrees at 88 knots.

The following communications between the pilot of N201RH, and the FAA, Raleigh ATCT (air traffic control tower), Cab Coordinator (CC) were taken from the ATC transcripts. These conversations took place after the pilot had re-established radio contact with ATC, after realizing that he could not land at LHZ.

The pilot of N201RH was told he was radar contact, to proceed direct to RDU, report the airport in sight, and maintain VFR. The controller asked him, "...are you I F R qualified sir." The pilot answered, "...negative sir." The controller said, "...right we're still showing five hundred scattered...calling for five hundred broken...we'll uh run you over the top of the airport maybe you'll get it in sight." The FAA, ATCT Cab Coordinator contacted the pilot of American Airline's flight 1804 (AA1804), and said; "...I got ah VFR trying to get in here do you have the airport in sight." The pilot of AA1804 answered, "...sir it is i m c [instrument meteorological condition]." This information was past on to the pilot of N201RH. ATC told the pilot, they did not know if there were any breaks in clouds, but for now the field was "still v f r." The pilot was given the option to over fly the airport and if he did not get it in sight, he could be given vectors towards Chapel Hill, North Carolina. For unknown reasons, the airplane turned left to a southerly heading away from the airport, and the FAA, ATCT Cab Coordinator asked the pilot what his heading was, and the pilot answered, "...one eighty." He was again told to maintain "two thousand feet VFR," and the pilot said that he was "..…below the cloud cover," and "did not " have the airport in sight. ATC asked him to say his intensions, and he answered, "…we're gonna continue inbound to the airport sir." He was told that a heading of 180 degrees was leading him "away from the airport," and the pilot answered, "we're turning back towards it now sir." This was the last radio transmission from N201RH. (See the FAA, Transcription of Voice Recordings, an attachment to this report.)

For the next 31 seconds ATC made five attempts to re-establish contact with negative results. Due to low cloud cover, aircraft could not attempt a search and rescue. At 0340, search and rescue ground crews confirmed the location of the crash site.

The accident occurred during the hours of darkness about 35 degrees, 50 minutes north, and 078 degrees, 45 minutes west.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 45, held a FAA commercial pilot certificate, with airplane single engine land, airplane multiengine land, last issued on April 27, 2000, when the commercial airplane single engine land rating was added. The pilot held a FAA class 2 medical certificate issued on September 29, 1999, with no limitations. The pilot received a biennial flight review, as required by 14 CFR Part 61, on April 21, 1999. According to the pilot's log book, and FAA records, as of July 29, 2000; a limitation on his commercial pilot certificate prohibited him from carrying passengers for hire at night and on cross-country flights of more than 50 nautical miles. The pilot received his private pilot, airplane single engine land rating April 30, 1987. He was issued his commercial airplane multi-engine land rating July 30, 1992. The records did not show any instrument rating. As per the entries in his personal flight logbook, he had accumulated a total of 1,725.2 total flight hours, 1,550.9 total single engine flight hours, and 184.3 total flight hours in multi-engine aircraft of which 145.6 hours were in DHC-6 airplanes. In addition, the logbooks showed that he had a total of 487.3 cross country flight hours, 61.9 total night flight hours, and 21.6 simulated instrument flight hours.

An employee at Chicagoland Skydiving, the pilot's employer, was contacted in order to obtain information about the pilot's schedule at the airport on July 29-30, 2000. According to the employee, on July 29, 2000, the pilot flew about 6.5 hours of flying time. He had arrived for work at the airport around 7:00 a.m. (CDT), on that morning, and would have left work around 8:30 p.m. (CDT). In addition, she stated that he probably began flying between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. (CDT).

The employee stated that the pilot only flew 3 loads, about 1 hour, on July 30, 2000, due to bad weather in the area. The pilot probably showed up at the airport around 7:00 a.m. (CDT), as he was an early riser. She stated he probably departed for North Carolina, around 7:30 p.m. (CDT), but could not confirm the time, because she had already left the airport by that time. She stated that the pilot had just begun working the weekend schedule about 2 weeks before the accident. This would have had him working Thursday through Sunday, with Monday through Wednesday off....