NTSB Factual Report

On November 24, 2003, about 0610 Alaska standard time, a Beech 1900C airplane, N112AX, sustained substantial damage when it collided with a tree during an instrument approach to the Juneau International Airport, Juneau, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as an instrument flight rules (IFR) cargo flight under Title 14, CFR Part 135, by Alaska Central Express Inc., Anchorage, Alaska. Following the collision, the airplane landed safely at the Juneau International Airport. The airline transport certificated captain and first officer were not injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan was filed. The flight departed the Yakutat Airport, Yakutat, Alaska, about 0500. Dark night conditions existed at the time of the accident.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on November 24, the director of operations for the operator said the captain told him he was flying the localizer directional aid-2 (LDA-2) approach to runway 8 at the Juneau International Airport. He said during the visual portion of the approach, between the final approach fix and the runway threshold, the airplane drifted left of the final approach course centerline and struck a tree. The right side of the airplane's nose, and the right inboard wing section, were damaged.

During an interview with the IIC on November 26, the captain said while en route to Juneau from Yakutat, the visibility at Juneau improved to 2 miles, which is the minimum to initiate the LDA-2 approach into Juneau. He said he flew the published approach to the final approach fix, the Coghlan radio beacon, 3.2 miles from the Juneau airport, at which time he had sight of the lead-in lights to the airport. He said he proceeded visually to the airport at an altitude between 700 and 1,000 feet msl. The captain said after passing the Mendenhall non-directional beacon, he felt a bump as though they may have hit a bird. The captain said the first officer reported a malfunction of his airspeed indicator, and the right engine bleed air annunciator illuminated. He said he flew the airplane to an uneventful landing.

During an interview with the IIC on November 26, the first officer reiterated essentially the same information as the pilot.

Post flight inspection of the airplane revealed a tear in the nose on the right side of the airplane from the radar dome to the electronics bay door (about 3 feet). The electronics bay door was torn open, and suspended from its upper hinge. The inboard section of the right wing had a tear in the leading edge about 18 inches wide, which extended aft into the wing about 18 inches.

During a telephone conversation with the IIC on December 9, the FAA aviation safety inspector who inspected the airplane, said he found tree fragments imbedded in the airplane's wing. He said he found the tree that was struck by the airplane about 2 miles from the airport, and .24 miles north of the course centerline. The inspector said the tree's base elevation was between 200 to 300 feet msl, and he estimated the tree's height as 100 feet agl.

The minimum descent altitude for the LDA-2 approach is 1,000 feet, and the distance from the final approach fix to the touchdown zone is 3.2 miles.

The most recent weather observation for Juneau International Airport prior to the accident was a special observation taken at 0604, reporting 2 miles visibility in light snow showers, vertical visibility of 800 feet agl, winds 110 degrees at 16 knots, and an altimeter setting of 29.40.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance from obstacles when approaching the airport, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a tree. Factors associated with the accident were the dark night, snow showers, and the pilot's failure to maintain runway alignment.