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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report of the plane crash on Sunday, Nov. 27, when a private pilot struck an electrical tower outside of the Gaithersburg Airport and got suspended in the lines for hours, leaving two with serious injuries.
According to the report, the pilot, Patrick Merkle, departed from Gaithersburg on the morning of the accident and flew into the Westchester County Airport in New York without incident, though things took a turn on his return trip to Maryland, when he chose a different method of approaching the runway.
"The pilot was advised to expect the RNAV/GPS A instrument approach procedure at (Gaithersburg Airport), but the pilot expressed a preference for the RNAV (GPS) RWY 14 approach procedure,” it states, noting that Merkle was advised to fly directly in one direction initially, but instead the airplane turned approximately 100 degrees to its right.
“The controller provided numerous heading changes and direct clearances to waypoints on the GPS RWY 14 approach procedure; however, the pilot made a series of left and right turns, near course reversals, or continued established headings as the controller repeatedly requested that the pilot turn to a different heading,” the report says.
At one point, the controller requested Merkle confirm he had the BEGKA waypoint and spelled it for him, but he responded that he had entered the information incorrectly and was making the correction, though visibility dropped and Merkle requested a diversion to another airport.
Additionally, according to the report, the minimum altitude to approach his landing on the runway was 3,000 feet above sea level, and the plane crossed at approximately 2,775 feet and continued dropping.
“About 1.25 miles from the runway and left of the runway centerline, the airplane impacted and became suspended in a power line tower at an elevation about 600 feet mean sea level and 100 feet above ground level.”
Preliminary flight track information with minimum altitudes for each segment of the approach (orange) and the airplane’s actual altitude (white) can be seen below.
During a 911 emergency call, Merkle reported that "I got down a little lower than I should have … I thought I was closer to the airport than I was ... We could see the ground, but we couldn't see in front.”
The report also revealed that there were no engine problems that contributed to the crash, with investigators stating that “the engine exam revealed no pre-impact mechanical anomalies that would have prevented normal operations.”
Surprisingly the report found that a visual examination of the engine only found minor impact damage to intake and exhaust stacks, ignition P-leads, and a. fuel pump drain port fitting after the crash.
“In interviews with local media after the accident, the pilot described the fog at the time of the accident as ‘pea soup,” according to the report, “and expressed concern about his altimeter working correctly.”
The complete report from the NTSB can be found here.
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