AOPA’S AIR SAFETY INSTITUTE RELEASES EARLY ANALYSIS: N515GK VIDEO

On October 18, 2022, a Beechcraft King Air E-90 crashed into a car dealership parking lot while on short final on an instrument approach into Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport (KPKB) in Parkersburg, West Virginia. No one on the ground was injured. Sadly, both pilots onboard the airplane died in the crash.

The King Air had been on a 30-minute flight in instrument meteorological conditions from John Glenn Columbus International Airport (KCMH) in Columbus, Ohio, to Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport. Just minutes before the accident, the flight had been cleared to land.

“In Early Analysis: N515GK, the AOPA Air Safety Institute wants to help pilots understand what is known about the accident as we look at factors that are likely to be a subject of the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board," said AOPA's ASI Senior Vice President Richard McSpadden.

McSpadden continued, “We can also use this mishap to remind ourselves that flying into icing conditions can be treacherous. Pilots flying aircraft not equipped for flight into known icing must avoid it, and those flying aircraft that are equipped must check the operation of their equipment, understand its limitations, and maintain proficiency on how to use it.”

“Remember, if you inadvertently encounter icing conditions on final approach, keep up your airspeed and don’t use flaps unless you have them already deployed,” McSpadden concluded.

Early Analysis videos provide an initial assessment of prominent mishaps that generate large public interest and may indicate important safety lessons for the general aviation community.

View the video here.

View other Early Analysis videos here.