Description

On February 6, 2007, a Beech 200 King Air, being operated by Metro Aviation on an EMS positioning flight from Great Falls MT to Gallatin Field MT collided with mountainous terrain in night VMC shortly after advising that the airport was in sight and requesting and obtaining permission for a visual approach. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were killed.

Investigation

An Investigation was carried out by the National Transportation Safety Board (USA) (NTSB). It was eastablishd that the aircraft was equipped with TAWS Class 'B' equipment. Impact with terrain was found to have occurred approximately 13 nm north-northwest of the intended destination at a height of just over 700 feet above the elevation of the destination airport.

The Probable Cause of the accident was determined as "the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate altitude and descent rate during a night visual approach" and it was additionally noted that "dark night conditions and mountainous terrain are factors in the accident".

Related Articles

• Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Further Reading

• For more information, see the NTSB Report (SEA07FA051)

• Accident and Serious Incident Reports: CFIT contains details of other accidents and incidents which resulted in, or might have resulted in, a CFIT