NTSB CAROL · Event
Event FTW94IA035
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
AN ENCOUNTER WITH A WET MICROBURST, ON FINAL APPROACH AT 200 FEET AGL, WHICH EXCEEDED THE PERFORMANCE CAPABILITY OF THE AIRCRAFT.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On November 16, 1993, at 1750 central standard time, a Grumman G159, N806W, using the call sign JUD806, and operated by the U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (USINS), landed approximately 500 feet short of runway 26 at Esler Field, Pineville, Louisiana, while conducting an ILS approach. There were no injuries to the 15 passengers and crew of 5, and the aircraft sustained minor damage. The flight originated from Tallahassee, Florida, at 1550 central standard time. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight plan was on file. According to witnesses and the crew, a thunderstorm had just passed over the field and rain with low visibility was present. The crew stated that as they approached decision height (200 feet AGL) they lost in excess of 25 knots of indicated airspeed almost instantaneously and the aircraft rate of descent increased. The crew said that rotation and application of power had no effect and the aircraft impacted the ground and approach lighting system, coming to rest on the runway surface. An emergency evacuation was conducted by the crew without event.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
Weather given to the aircraft by Houston Center prior to commencing the approach is depicted in this document under METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION. A weather observation, taken at Esler Field immediately following the incident, was as follows: 10 SCT M21 OVC 1TRW+F 165/69/67/2715G24/002/TB48 OVHD MOVG NE LTGICCG According to ground witnesses, winds at the time of the accident were changing rapidly in both direction and velocity, and visibility varied with rain intensity.
COMMUNICATIONS
Pertinent portions of communications transcripts with Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center and Esler Tower are attached, as are controller statements.
AERODROME INFORMATION
A flight check of the terminal navigation facility was conducted following the incident, and was compared with the previous routine flight check for abnormalities. According to the attached flight check reports, the facility was operating within normal parameters.
FLIGHT RECORDERS
The aircraft was equipped with both a cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder; however, neither was operating at the time of the incident, and they are not required to be operational for public use aircraft.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
A series of gouges was found 500 feet short of the threshold, in the approach zone, consistent with the aircraft landing gear foot print. Seventy feet beyond these marks, a set of five approach lights was destroyed. There were no marks for approximately 50 feet, then gouge marks were found followed by damage to another set of approach lights. Gouge marks extended from this set of approach lights to the runway threshold. Examination of the aircraft by the Investigator In Charge, provided the following evidence. The left propeller was nicked and gouged, there were numerous gouges and holes in the right flap, and the nose landing gear was distorted.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Both pilots submitted to a urine analysis drug/alcohol screen as required in Immigration and Naturalization Service policy. Both tests were negative, and documentation of the tests is attached.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
A review of training and standardization information was conducted with emphasis on weather, microburst, windshear, and cockpit resource management. Attached is information concerning promulgation in this regard.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The wreckage was released to the Chief Pilot for the USINS on November 18, 1993. No parts were retained. WHILE CONDUCTING AN ILS APPROACH, THE AIRCRAFT PICKED UP A HIGH SINK RATE AND LOSS OF AIRSPEED AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED 200 FEET AGL. THE CREW APPLIED FULL POWER AND ROTATED THE AIRCRAFT, BUT THE SINK RATE CONTINUED AND THE AIRCRAFT LANDED APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY IN THE APPROACH LIGHT ZONE. FOLLOWING TOUCH DOWN, THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED ONTO THE RUNWAY AND WAS STOPPED BY THE CREW. AN EMERGENCY EVACUATION WAS CONDUCTED WITHOUT EVENT. IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THIS EVENT A THUNDERSTORM HAD PASSED OVER THE AIRPORT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1993_FTW94IA035.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 (thunderstorm, microburst). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
The Impact of Thunderstorms on Take-off Data in South Africa
Aviation and meteorology are entwined disciplines, as aviation occurs in the atmosphere. Prevailing weather conditions at take-off are of utmost importance to aviation.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Optimal recovery from microburst wind shear
The flight path of a twin-jet transport aircraft is optimized in a microburst encounter during approach to landing. The objective is to execute an escape maneuver that maintains safe ground clearance …
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Performance limits for optimal microburst encounter
An effort has been made to ascertain the envelope-edges for uneventful aircraft penetrations of microburst windshears on the basis of optimal aircraft control strategies.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Aircraft performance in a JAWS microburst
Attention is given to the detailed features of a servere microburst event, the flight behavior of a 727 airliner in such an event as predicted by a numerical simulation, and several low level wind she…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Assessment of microburst models for downdraft estimation
The effectiveness of three microburst models in estimating the downdraft from horizontal velocity measurements is assessed. The development of the models and their characteristics are discussed.
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