CHI92LA106

1992-03-07 · ELKHART, Indiana, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport EKM

Aircraft involved

N105A Socata TB-10 Minor

Probable cause & findings

PROPER GLIDEPATH WAS NOT MAINTAINED AND MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE WAS NOT MAINTAINED BY THE PILOT RESULTING IN COLLISION WITH TREES. FACTORS RELATE TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE IN TYPE OF OPERATION AND OVER CONFIDENCE IN PERSONAL ABILITY.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT INTERCEPTED THE OUTER MARKER AND STARTED THE DESCENT FOR THE ILS RWY 27 APPROACH. THE PILOT STATED HE BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AND MADE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY. DUE TO FOG AND EXTERNAL LIGHT, HE STATED, HE MOMENTARILY LOST SIGHT OF THE RUNWAY. UPON LOOKING BACK A THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, HE NOTED HE WAS TOO LOW. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES ABOUT 1/2 MILE FROM THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE STUCK IN THE TREE TOPS AND THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE RESCUED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THIS AS THE FIRST ACTUAL IFR FLIGHT MADE BY THE PILOT SINCE OBTAINING HIS IFR CERTIFICATE ONE MONTH PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1992_CHI92LA106.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.