NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CHI89LA072
Registry · N4445W
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BEECH A60
Year of manufacture
1973 · 16 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING TI0-541 SER (310 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19731022
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A55C95
Registrant of record
HENDRIX TODD M
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT MISJUDGED ALTITUDE AND/OR DISTANCE TO THE RUNWAY WILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO LAND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARK NIGHT AND PILOT FATIGUE.
Factual narrative
WHILE ON THE FINAL APPROACH, APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF APPROACH LIGHTS AND SUPPORT STRUCTURES. THE AIRCRAFT DAMAGED SEVENTEEN APPROACH LIGHTS ON A TOTAL OF FIVE SUPPORT STRUCTURES, BUT WAS SAFELY LANDED AND TAXIED TO THE RAMP. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE EXECUTED A NON-STANDARD APPROACH AT A HIGHER THAN NORMAL AIRSPEED, IN AN EFFORT TO ACCOMMODATE FASTER TRAFFIC BEHIND HIM ON THE APPROACH. HE SAID HIS NON-STABILIZED APPROACH RESULTED IN 'AN UNDETECTED INCREASE IN THE RATE OF DESCENT...' HE SAID THAT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT THE END OF A FATIGUING DAY. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_CHI89LA072.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (pilot fatigue). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- SKYbrary (Eurocontrol) 2023 · SKYbrary article
Pilot Fatigue — SKYbrary Knowledge Base
SKYbrary pilot fatigue review — circadian biology, biomathematical models (SAFE/FAID), commuting impacts, regulatory frameworks (FAR 117 + EU 83/2014).
- NASA NTRS 2023 · Presentation
Nasa Pilot Fatigue Research: Past, Present & Future
Pilot fatigue research at NASA Ames has a long history, initiated by a Congressional request to investigate the magnitude of fatigue, sleep loss and circadian disruption in flight operations, and how …
- FAA CAMI 2022 · CAMI technical report
Pilot Fatigue and Sleep Patterns in Long-Range and Ultra-Long-Range Operations
Field study of crew sleep and alertness during ultra-long-range commercial operations. Combines actigraphy, sleep diaries, and PVT-B reaction tests.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
San Francisco Bar Pilot Fatigue Study
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent of fatigue among San Francisco Bar Pilots (Maritime Pilots) and its potential impact on safety, and to make recommendations concerning how the risk…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings
Pilot Fatigue and Circadian Desynchronosis
Pilot fatigue and circadian desynchronosis, its significance to air transport safety, and research approaches, were examined.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Conference paper
Benefits associated with improving fatigue regulations for cargo pilots
This study investigated the potential business benefits of improving fatigue regulations for cargo pilots in Brazil. The research objectives were to compare fatigue levels between cargo and passenger …
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗