The pilot of a small plane that crashed on Block Island in July, fatally injuring a passenger, was using the wrong radio frequency when approaching the runway on two of his three attempts to land, according to a preliminary investigation report.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report posted Friday suggests a gust of wind and insufficient runway space contributed to the July 30 crash at Block Island State Airport that killed a New York county legislator.
The Piper PA-28-181 left Albany International Airport just before 11 a.m. on July 30, heading to New Shoreham for lunch with the pilot and two passengers on board, according to the report.
Passenger Dan Wilson, 77, a Montgomery Councilor, died as a result of the crash.
Investigators wrote that the pilot began his descent about 20 nautical miles from Block Island’s airport. As he approached runway 10, he saw an airplane departing and began a go-around. He attempted to land a second time, but was too close to the runway on the final approach.
The pilot made a third attempt, but federal investigators wrote that the plane overran the runway and hit the nearby trees in a canopy about 50 feet off the ground.
“As the pilot applied the brakes, the airplane’s right wing lifted due to a gust of wind,” the report stated.
Runway 10, the island’s runway, is 2,501 feet long, the shortest runway of Rhode Island’s six state airports.
The NTSB report states that air traffic controllers repeatedly warned the pilot he was using the wrong radio frequency. Although the pilot acknowledged the correction, investigators said he continued on the original frequency and used it to report his position for two of the three runway approaches. The report does not specify which approaches the pilot used the wrong frequency.
The plane owned by Condair Flyers Flying Club in Latham, New York, crashed at 12:10 p.m. and was “substantially damaged,” according to the report.
The pilot, who is not named in the report, was seriously injured. The surviving passenger’s injuries were reported to be minor.
The wind conditions at the time were reported as 7 knots, considered a gentle breeze. Visibility was 10 miles, according to the NTSB’s report.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
