NTSB Prelim Cites Gyro/Attitude Indicator Loss

A National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report, released Thursday, on last Friday's C182 (file photo, below) crash in Asheville, NC, points to possible equipment malfunction, resulting in a partial panel problem.

Pilot Jim Hilburn, the Dublin, Ga. school board attorney, Gov. Sonny Perdue's campaign pilot Jeff Davis III and James Rodney Connell, a former Treutlen County deputy, perished when their 1977 Cessna 182Q impacted Bald Mountain while making a missed approach at the Asheville Regional Airport.

The three men were enroute to AVL from W H 'Bud' Barron Airport, in Dublin, Georgia, when they encountered dense fog and rain. According to the report, 'instrument meteorological condition prevailed at the time of the accident and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed."

The report states the approach controller advised the pilot he was over the initial approach fix and to maintain 4,600 feet until established on the localizer. The AVL tower controller then cleared the pilot to land on runway 16. A couple of minutes later, the controller advised the pilot "he was off the localizer, climb immediately, and maintain 5,000 feet."

The AVL controller requested the pilot's current heading which the pilot reported was 250 degrees. The pilot reported that he had his directional gyro "messed up", and he would try to go around again to 250 degrees, this time climbing to 3,300 feet, according to the report. A direction to turn right to a heading of 300 degrees was given to which the pilot said he needed help due to "his directional gyro being off".

The controller then told the pilot he would not give gyro vectors but would advise when to stop turning.  When the controller asked for the compass reading, the pilot advised "250 degrees". Shortly thereafter, the controller advised the pilot to "climb, climb and maintain 5,100 feet" to which the pilot said "we've just lost the attitude indicator, right turn to what?" Several seconds later, the controller advised the pilot to "just turn, and climb and maintain 5,100 feet".

Two minutes later, the controller reported to approach control that they had lost radar and radio contact with the aircraft.

About an hour later, a medical air ambulance helicopter located the wreckage on a mountain about 12 miles from the airport, according to the Macon, Ga., Telegraph.

NTSB investigator Eric Alleyne said that components of the instrument landing system have been sent off for testing and that he's studying Hilburn and Davis' flight training records.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov