On the Way to 69G

Peter Garrison

Wednesday, June 03, 2009 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A pilot fatally crashed during a forced landing attempt after engine failure, choosing a distant, tiny, and camouflaged airport despite passing multiple closer and safer emergency landing options like highways and open fields.
The critical error was the pilot's initial decision to aim for the distant airport, possibly influenced by perceiving ATC's information about the "nearest airport" as directive advice, and a failure to re-evaluate his options.
The terrain towards the chosen airport was hilly and forested, becoming less suitable for an emergency landing the further the pilot proceeded, making alternative landing sites inaccessible by the time the inadequacy of the chosen airport was clear.
A significant contributing factor was the propeller being in a low pitch (high RPM) setting, which drastically reduced the aircraft's glide performance and likely prevented the pilot from reaching even the unsuitable chosen airfield.

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In June 2006 a Beech B36TC Bonanza, fresh out of annual inspection, lost power while cruising at 5,000 feet on the way from Kalamazoo to Ypsilanti, Michigan. Although conditions were day VMC, the 950-hour pilot had filed an IFR flight plan. He advised the controller of the situation and asked for a vector to the nearest airport.

The controller provided a vector to Carriage Lane, near Gregory, about 30 miles northwest of Ann Arbor. Gregory is a microscopic rural community, and Carriage Lane airport is proportionately tiny; besides, its 1,700-foot turf runway can barely be distinguished from its surroundings. A couple of minutes later, the controller offered another airport: Richmond, 69G, a couple of miles southwest of Carriage Lane. The runway there was turf as well, and equally well camouflaged; but at least it was 2,471 feet long and it was slightly closer.