Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to follow instrument approach procedures and his premature descent below the published decision height. A factor was pilot fatigue.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The flight had been diverted from the destination airport, and had completed two missed approaches at an alternate. During the third approach, the pilot saw lights below the airplane, and shifted his attention from the flight instruments to the lights. As the airplane descended, the pilot realized that the lights were not approach lights. Before he could apply power and establish a climb attitude, the airplane collided with a fence. The 74-year-old pilot attributed the accident to the stress and fatigue of the other approaches, and his desire to meet a schedule. No mechanical problem was discovered with the aircraft.
Source record
Factual narrative
On November 27, 1994, at 1825 eastern standard time, a Cessna 182P, N6556M, collided with a chain link fence one half mile west of the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport, in Greer, South Carolina. The personal flight operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 with an instrument flight plan filed. Instrument flight rules weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the pilot received minor injuries. The flight departed Gainesville, Florida, at 1500 hours. According to the pilot, he had attempted two other instrument approaches. While on the third final approach for landing, he saw a series of ground lights through the clouds. When the pilot descended below the cloud layer, he discovered that the lights were not approach lights, but were security lights around a local business. Before the pilot could establish a climb attitude, the airplane collided with the six foot fence around the business. Examination of the airplane failed to disclose a mechanical malfunction or component failure. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane was on the localizer course when the collision occurred. The published missed approach decision height/weather minimum for the ILS Runway 3 was two hundred feet and one half mile. The pilot stated that the stress of two missed approaches and a level of fatigue were possible contributing factors to this accident (see attached pilot aircraft accident report). -