Cudjoe accident

[The_Russian]

Not sure exactly, but its thick. You can clearly see the cable from 5 or so nm away.

 

[Rally]

Did the cable break?

 

[svcta]

I used to fly by the one by Ft. Huachucha(sp) just outside of Nogales, Az all the time. Those dam balloons are huge. But they're marked all over GPSs and charts and the controllers are very aware of them, of course. Even when it was on the ground I'd always have to go around it(naturally). I'd bet that the cable would slice right through a piece of high-speed aluminum.

 

[SIG600]

Regardless of whether he was under ATC control or not, it's the PIC's responsibility to keep the PIC and pax safe. The controller goes home at the end of the day regardless of whether they screw up or not. This ranks right up there with people that "wander" into the ADIZ and Prohibited area's around DC. If you know it's out there, why the FRICK do you not have situational awareness to it at all times???

 

[Fearless Tower]

Not excusing the pilot....just curious about the level of involvement of ATC in this case. From another source, it sounds like he was on an IFR flight plan, had taken off from the airport in Key West and had just contacted Miami Center, but hadn't been radar identified before he hit the cable.

As far as whether or not the cable was visible, apparently it happened at night around 2300 (11pm).

 

[erj-145mech]

Pilot was informed of aerostat by MIA Center

NTSB Identification: MIA07FA083
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, April 20, 2007 in Cudjoe Key, FL
Aircraft: Cessna 182Q, registration: N422G
Injuries: 3 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On April 20, 2007, about 2313 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182Q, N422G, registered to and operated by a private individual as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed in Cudjoe Key, Florida. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight to Leesburg, Florida. The private-rated pilot and two passengers received fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The flight originated in Key West, Florida, the same night, about 2300.

According to information received from officials with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, two witnesses who were on shore at the boat ramp at the end of Blimp Road, in Cudjoe Key, said they saw the accident airplane impact the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) aerostat cable. According to the witnesses, when the airplane impacted the aerostat cable, the left wing went "flying off", and the remainder of the airplane went tumbling into the water near a group of islands. about 1/4 mile from where they were located.

In response to notification of the accident having occurred elements to include Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the Florida Highway Patrol, and U.S Coast Guard responded. The accident airplane was located in the vicinity of Cudjoe Key, in Kemp Channel on the bay side, in about 3 to 4 feet of water.

According to information obtained from Naval Air Station Key West, the accident airplane departed from Key West International Airport on runway 27, then turned to a easterly heading, and was last seen on radar as it merged with the aerostat. At the time of the accident, the airplane had been in radio communications contact with FAA Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), and according to an official at Miami ARTCC, the pilot had been informed of the restricted area at Cudjoe Key.

The aerostat, whose tether the airplane impacted at Cudjoe Key was being operating normally, and was on station as published. The TARS flight director on duty stated that the aerostat had a cable payout of 8,000 feet, was on a pitch of 9.2 degrees, and had a tension of 2.4K pounds tether force. According the flight director’s log, the log entry directly preceding the accident showed no irregularities. At 2315, the flight director logged " an airplane may have crashed off the north pad into the channel", and at 2328, the log showed that the flight director initiated cable retraction at a rate of 25 feet per minute. During the course of the retraction it was discovered that the tether had incurred damage at its 4,533-ft cable payout level.

A video record from the camera mounted on the TARS flight control building, which monitors the aerostat while aloft, showed the aerostat's position lights, and at 2312:55, the video record showed the position lights of the accident airplane as it approached the tether. The video record showed the airplane's left wing striking the tether, and the airplane entering a spin, and descending seemingly uncontrolled, departing the camera's field of view.

 

[The_Russian]

NAS Key West Approach closes at 9pm nightly. At 4500 feet near Cudjoe, ZMA cannot establish radar contact with aircraft. Unless there is something I am not familiar with, that guy was on his own. My buds at NAS KW would never let me hit one of those wires. They are quite vigilant about that!

 

[AngelKing]

NAS Key West Approach closes at 9pm nightly. At 4500 feet near Cudjoe, ZMA cannot establish radar contact with aircraft. Unless there is something I am not familiar with, that guy was on his own. My buds at NAS KW would never let me hit one of those wires. They are quite vigilant about that!

I fly every night on a profile in that area from 1800 to 2300. I cannot tell you how many times Approach and Center are vectoring people away from there who do not even know the restricted area exist.

AK

 

[The_Russian]

Now EYW VOR is going out for 42 days during repairs. Good luck to those who are unfamiliar.

 

[PhatAJ2008]

What is that thing used for? How many others are out there like this one?