Family Of Four Perishes Following Failed ILS Approach

The NTSB has released its preliminary report on the December 22 crash of a Beech A36 (file photo of type below) in Chattanooga, TN. Nelson McPherson Jr. and his wife, Debbie, both 43, along with daughters Danielle, 19, and Kayla, 13 all died when their aircraft impacted trees and terrain after attempting an ILS to runway 20 at Lovell Field (CHA).

According to NTSB investigators, McPherson was on an IFR flight plan from Gainesville, FL when he checked in with Chattanooga approach control just after 21:00 local. The controller told him to expect vectors for the ILS Rwy 20 at CHA.

McPherson appeared to have difficulty maintaining his assigned altitude of 3,000 feet. After the controller advised him a second time, McPherson said he was disoriented. The controller asked McPherson to confirm the problem was with the pilot and not the plane, to which he replied "that's correct."

At the time, CHA was reporting light winds and ten miles visibility with a 2,000 foot overcast ceiling. McPherson told the controller he was in IMC and the controller asked if he wanted to climb to VMC. McPherson refused saying he was okay.

The controller advised McPherson he was going to provide vectors for a slow turn onto the localizer for the ILS attempt. The controller asked McPherson if he was feeling alright to which he responded he was feeling fine.

The controller vectored McPherson to a 30-degree intercept of the localizer five miles from the final approach fix and advised him to maintain 2,500 until established on final. McPherson said he wasn't receiving the localizer and asked the controller for the frequency. After the controller gave him the frequency, McPherson said he was receiving the localizer and thought he was right of course which the controller confirmed. The controller asked McPherson if he could intercept the localizer from his position. McPherson said yes and that he was also picking up the glideslope.

Over the next two minutes the controller observed the aircraft both left and right of the localizer course while descending below the glideslope. He advised McPherson twice to check his altitude with McPherson responding both times he was correcting.

When McPherson failed to climb back to the glideslope after a second low-altitude warning, the controller cancelled the approach clearance and directed a climb to 2,500 feet. No further transmissions were received from McPherson.

A witness, who lived about a quarter of a mile from the accident site, stated, "At about 9:30 pm I was in my bedroom and I heard an airplane engine rev up real high. I then heard sounds of impacts in the trees behind my house. I then heard my neighbor... yell that there was a plane down."

The aircraft crashed in a wooded area behind residences about five miles north of CHA. The wreckage was spread across a 305-foot-long debris path on a 307-degree heading. Investigators determined the engine was operating and the gear and flaps were retracted at the time of the crash. They were unable to confirm any pre-impact anomalies with the flight controls, the airframe or the engine.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov