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Atlas / NTSB / BFO92FA031

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event BFO92FA031

1992-03-06 FREDERICK, Maryland, United States Airport · FDK Fatal 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N8104G

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

GIBSON RON Z MAX

Engine

AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG

Seats / Engines

1 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19950711

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S AB0C47

Registrant of record

GIBSON RONALD LEROY

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IFR OPERATION AND DESCENT BELOW THE ILS GLIDESLOPE AND DECISION HEIGHT, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH TREES. THE WEATHER CONDITION AND LACK OF A RECENT WEATHER BRIEFING WERE RELATED FACTORS.

Factual narrative

THE PILOTS WERE ON THE FIRST LEG OF A PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND HAD OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING ON THE PREVIOUS NIGHT, BUT HAD NOT UPDATED IT ON THE DAY OF THE FLIGHT. THE WEATHER AT THE DESTINATION AIRPORT WAS IN PART: 100 FT OVERCAST, REDUCED VISIBILITY WITH FOG, WIND FROM 020 DEG AT 7 KTS. ON THE FIRST APPROACH, THE PILOT EXECUTED A MISSED APPROACH, BUT DID NOT FOLLOW THE MISSED APPROACH PROCEDURE. THE MISSED APPROACH PROCEDURE WAS TO CLIMB TO 1000 FT MSL ON THE RUNWAY HEADING, THEN TURN LEFT, WHILE CONTINUING THE CLIMB TO 2800 FT VIA THE LOCALIZER COURSE TO THE OUTER MARKER. INSTEAD, HE CIRCLED TO THE RIGHT OVER THE CITY AND REQUESTED ANOTHER APPROACH. ON THE SECOND APPROACH, HE FLEW TO THE LEFT OF THE LOCALIZER AND DESCENDED BELOW THE GLIDE SLOPE AND DECISION HEIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TREES ON A HILL ABOUT 200 FEET BELOW THE ILS DECISION HEIGHT AND 1.85 MI FROM THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 23. A POST- ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREEXISTING MECHANICAL FAILURE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1992_BFO92FA031.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.