Pilot crashes after 6 unsuccessful approaches...
 

"After a 90-minute instrument flight rules flight, the pilot descended toward his home airport in Seagoville, Texas, and attempted six unsuccessful instrument approaches in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).

The controller terminated three GPS approaches and one instrument landing system approach because the pilot flew through the final approach course; one GPS approach was terminated because the pilot was performing S-turns on final.

Sunset occurred during the third approach attempt.

After the fourth approach attempt, the controller suggested that the pilot divert to an airport with visual meteorological conditions (VMC), which the pilot declined because of the Beech V35A’s low fuel status.

During the sixth approach attempt, he stated he was “getting tired of flying this airplane.”



Pilot Crashes After Six Unsuccessful Approaches - Ofonime Essien Aviation

This happened in 2014.
And why post it on pprune?

So we can learn from it ! Thanks for posting it, I missed that one.

Was a professional pilot involved?
Is this not the Professional Pilots Rumour Network?

viking737, the pilots licence category is irrelevant. We can all learn something from each other.
That is unless you are a skygod and know everything.

CC

Certainly not a skygod, but in the past this was a forum for professional pilots and used to be pretty interesting. A private pilot crashing after 6 approaches is very sad but I would go to General Aviation forums if I wanted to read about general aviation/private pilot stuff.

In fact PPrune actually has such a forum.........

Biz Jets, Ag Flying, GA etc. The place for discussion of issues related to corporate, Ag and GA aviation. If you're a professional pilot and don't fly for the airlines then try here.

NTSB just published the report.

"This December 2014 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others."

Aside from that, I have NEVER seen 'professional' pilots on multiple GA....NEVER...

Given the depth of PPRUNE and formats, mods are free to move posts at will if there is a better format for the information.

Maybe this should go in the Darwin Awards thread in Jet Blast

6 times ? then stating to the controller "getting tired to fly this airplane " ? Frankly No.
This is in fact more for low time GA pilots or wannabees, and should be in that forum if you ask me.

Nothing to discuss actually

and shared the very same airspace...

True, that's one of the reasons for publishing accident reports.

Probably also applies to the other 1500 or so investigations into accidents that occurred in 2014.

Don't think there's much to learn here:
So, while the report's cover claims spatial disorientation in IMC as the reason for the loss of control, it turns out that, on the evening in question, the poor fellow couldn't fly an instrument approach of any sort, couldn't communicate how much fuel he had remaining, probably didn't know, and, whether his engine quit or not, he lost control with the tanks dry.

Remember this one?

Jet Airways- 7 approaches - lands with 270kg fuel

I have not read the report, but, must have been an attorney or a doctor.

Many professional pilots have fallen into this trap. Case in point was the pilot for the President of Poland. He crashed on his ninth attempted approach. Target/goal fixation is a killer in this business.

My personal rule is that after the first approach, if I can not figure out what went wrong, I go with a new game plan. A different approach or more likely a different airport.

Previous poster is not correct regarding an accident.

The Polish Airforce Tu154 crash in Smolensk happened during its first approach attempt to the airport.

The information I had stated that the crew flew multiple approaches. Here in the US, a majority of the instrument approach accidents, do not happen on the first approach.

Instrument approaches are high stress and high work load. Each approach tires the pilot both mentally and physically. As the pilot tires, it becomes more and more likely the pilot will make an error.

Not uncommonly in these kinds of accidents, they'll push it lower and lower on each subsequent approach, hoping the next one will work out. Finally, while well below mins they get off course or become spatially disoriented while looking for the runway. It's an easy and well documented trap that will catch pilots out if they allow themselves to cave into the temptation push it just a little lower.

I'm actually less concerned about doing repetitive approaches to mins because that's what I've always experienced in training and checking events. If you stay on course and don't go below mins during any segment of the approach, there's nothing in your path to hit. (theoretically anyway) The trouble usually appears during the transition from instrument to visual reference, especially when this takes place while near or below mins.

Discipline is the only remedy. Don't descend below mins unless you have the required references! The temptation to "cheat" has snatched many otherwise capable pilots right out of this life. In some wx circumstances, another approach may be fruitful. Such as when the visibility and/or ceiling are trending toward improvement. Two or perhaps even three attempts may be rational in some circumstances. But six? This one started reading like an accident report long before that.