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.... that almost took my life.
On a dark foggy night February 09 1983 I was parked at a gas station in Addison,Texas refueling on my way home from having dinner with my family.
Visibility was less than two tenths of a mile. It was muggy for a February evening. The fog was the worst I had ever seen.
Suddenly the quiet night was cut by the sound of a beech craft A26TC crashing less than 100 feet from where I was standing pumping gas.
As the single engine beech craft came down, it clipped a telephone pole next to the gas station with a 12,000 volt transformer on it, instantly knocking the intersection into total blackness, but only for a split second until the entire intersection was lit up with the fuel from the tanks on the plane.
In shock, I ran around my car shaking uncontrollably half knowing what had just happened. People around me were silent, my mind was screaming PLANE CRASH!
It was loud, dark and scary. My world would have been silent if for not the sound of the A26TC crackling against the concrete, trees and building.
I ran part of the way to the crash then stopped and turned away and ran back to my car. I knew in my heart no one survived, the wreckage was too fiery.
If there would have been only fractions of seconds difference in the decent of the plane, it could have come down dead center of the gas stations bay area where I was innocently pumping gas.
That night I did some soul searching. It could have been my final moment here on earth. I had to reaffirm my relationship with God
The NTSB report is as follows.
N37365
NTSB Identification: FTW83FA108 .
The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 22669.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, February 09, 1983 in ADDISON, TX
Aircraft: BEECH A36TC, registration: N37365
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED, STUDENT PLT USED ANOTHER PERSON'S NAME WHILE FILING AN INSTRUMENT FLT PLAN. WHEN HE CONTACTED GROUND CONTROL FOR DEPARTURE, HE WAS ADVISED THAT THE ARPT HAD JUST BECOME IFR. AFTER SOME CONFUSION CONCERNING CANCELING & FILING FLT PLANS, HE WAS ISSUED AN IFR CLEARANCE. HE WAS ASKED IF HE WAS INSTRUMENT QUALIFIED AND EQUIPPED AND HE REPLIED 'THAT IS CORRECT.' DURING HIS ARRIVL AT ADDISON, TX, THE STUDENT ATTEMPTED TO LAND FROM AN ILS APCH, BUT WAS UNABLE TO COMPLETE THE APCH. TOWER & APCH CONTROL PERSONNEL PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO THE STUDENT WHILE HE ATTEMPTED A 2ND APCH. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE STUDENT TRANSMITTED MAYDAY CALLS, JUST BEFORE CRASHING. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE ACFT CAME OUT OF THE OVERCAST, THE REENTERED THE OVERCAST, BEFORE CRASHING. DURING THE OCCURRENCE, THE ACFT 1ST CONTACTED POWER LINES AFTER CLEARING THE ROOF OF A BUILDING. IT THEN IMPACTED IN AN OPEN FIELD APRX 84 FT BEYOND THE POWER LINE & BURNED.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
AIRCRAFT HANDLING..NOT MAINTAINED..PILOT IN COMMAND
JUDGMENT..POOR..PILOT IN COMMAND
SPATIAL DISORIENTATION..PILOT IN COMMAND
FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER..CONTINUED..PILOT IN COMMAND
Contributing Factors
OBJECT..WIRE,TRANSMISSION
OVERCONFIDENCE IN PERSONAL ABILITY..PILOT IN COMMAND
LIGHT CONDITION..DARK NIGHT
LACK OF TOTAL INSTRUMENT TIME..PILOT IN COMMAND
WEATHER CONDITION..LOW CEILING
LIGHT CONDITION..FOG
WEATHER CONDITION..HAZE/SMOKE
WEATHER CONDITION..OBSCURATION
True story.
On a dark foggy night February 09 1983 I was parked at a gas station in Addison,Texas refueling on my way home from having dinner with my family.
Visibility was less than two tenths of a mile. It was muggy for a February evening. The fog was the worst I had ever seen.
Suddenly the quiet night was cut by the sound of a beech craft A26TC crashing less than 100 feet from where I was standing pumping gas.
As the single engine beech craft came down, it clipped a telephone pole next to the gas station with a 12,000 volt transformer on it, instantly knocking the intersection into total blackness, but only for a split second until the entire intersection was lit up with the fuel from the tanks on the plane.
In shock, I ran around my car shaking uncontrollably half knowing what had just happened. People around me were silent, my mind was screaming PLANE CRASH!
It was loud, dark and scary. My world would have been silent if for not the sound of the A26TC crackling against the concrete, trees and building.
I ran part of the way to the crash then stopped and turned away and ran back to my car. I knew in my heart no one survived, the wreckage was too fiery.
If there would have been only fractions of seconds difference in the decent of the plane, it could have come down dead center of the gas stations bay area where I was innocently pumping gas.
That night I did some soul searching. It could have been my final moment here on earth. I had to reaffirm my relationship with God
The NTSB report is as follows.
N37365
NTSB Identification: FTW83FA108 .
The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 22669.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, February 09, 1983 in ADDISON, TX
Aircraft: BEECH A36TC, registration: N37365
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED, STUDENT PLT USED ANOTHER PERSON'S NAME WHILE FILING AN INSTRUMENT FLT PLAN. WHEN HE CONTACTED GROUND CONTROL FOR DEPARTURE, HE WAS ADVISED THAT THE ARPT HAD JUST BECOME IFR. AFTER SOME CONFUSION CONCERNING CANCELING & FILING FLT PLANS, HE WAS ISSUED AN IFR CLEARANCE. HE WAS ASKED IF HE WAS INSTRUMENT QUALIFIED AND EQUIPPED AND HE REPLIED 'THAT IS CORRECT.' DURING HIS ARRIVL AT ADDISON, TX, THE STUDENT ATTEMPTED TO LAND FROM AN ILS APCH, BUT WAS UNABLE TO COMPLETE THE APCH. TOWER & APCH CONTROL PERSONNEL PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO THE STUDENT WHILE HE ATTEMPTED A 2ND APCH. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE STUDENT TRANSMITTED MAYDAY CALLS, JUST BEFORE CRASHING. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE ACFT CAME OUT OF THE OVERCAST, THE REENTERED THE OVERCAST, BEFORE CRASHING. DURING THE OCCURRENCE, THE ACFT 1ST CONTACTED POWER LINES AFTER CLEARING THE ROOF OF A BUILDING. IT THEN IMPACTED IN AN OPEN FIELD APRX 84 FT BEYOND THE POWER LINE & BURNED.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
AIRCRAFT HANDLING..NOT MAINTAINED..PILOT IN COMMAND
JUDGMENT..POOR..PILOT IN COMMAND
SPATIAL DISORIENTATION..PILOT IN COMMAND
FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER..CONTINUED..PILOT IN COMMAND
Contributing Factors
OBJECT..WIRE,TRANSMISSION
OVERCONFIDENCE IN PERSONAL ABILITY..PILOT IN COMMAND
LIGHT CONDITION..DARK NIGHT
LACK OF TOTAL INSTRUMENT TIME..PILOT IN COMMAND
WEATHER CONDITION..LOW CEILING
LIGHT CONDITION..FOG
WEATHER CONDITION..HAZE/SMOKE
WEATHER CONDITION..OBSCURATION
True story.
