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http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20041208X01949&key=1

NTSB Identification: DCA05MA011
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, November 22, 2004 in Houston, TX
Aircraft: Gulfstream Aerospace G-III, registration: N85VT
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 November 22, 2004, about 0615 central standard time (CST), a Gulfstream G-1159A (G-III), N85VT, operated by Business Jet Services, crashed while on approach to Houston Hobby Airport (HOU), Houston, Texas. The airplane was on an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 4 when the airplane struck a light pole adjacent to a roadway and crashed into a field about 3 miles southwest of the runway. The airplane was operating on an instrument flight rules flight plan under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 from Dallas Love Field, Dallas, Texas to HOU. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and fire. The two pilots and one flight attendant on board were killed.

Reported weather conditions at the airport before the accident included fog, ceilings of 100 and 600 feet (broken), and surface visibilities of between about 1/3 to 1/2 mile. Interviews with air traffic control personnel and a review of air traffic control tapes and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) indicate that a minimum safe altitude warning (MSAW) was issued to the flight seconds before the end of the CVR recording.

The light pole impacted by the airplane was located on the south side of the roadway; the light pole and associated lighting extended approximately 156 feet above the ground at that point. The majority of the airplane wreckage was found in a field on the north side of the roadway, with the first major portion being a large section of the right wing.

Investigative groups have been formed in the areas of Operations/Human Factors, Weather, Air Traffic Control (ATC), Structures, Systems, Powerplants, Maintenance Records, Survival Factors, Witnesses, Flight Data Recorder (FDR), and CVR.

Preliminary evaluation of the ATC communications and radar data indicates that the flight continued to converge on the localizer track for runway 4, eventually becoming aligned near the end of the last radar returns. The data further indicate that the flight's average descent rate was about 1000 feet per minute over the last minute of radar returns. The Federal Aviation Administration conducted a flight check of the ILS approach to runway 4 the day after the accident; no anomalies were noted.

The following are based on the ATC transcript of communications between the accident flight and ATC (reported times are approximate and in CST).

At 0610:42, with the airplane on a southeasterly heading and an altitude of about 3000 feet, the approach controller stated that the flight was "…eight miles from EISEN," (the final approach fix) "turn left heading zero seven zero, maintain two thousand or above til established localizer, cleared ILS runway 4 approach." The crew acknowledged.

At 0611:58, the crew made initial contact with HOU tower and said, "and Houston Hobby Tower, Gulfstream eight five victor tango is with you on the ILS." The tower responded, "…wind calm, runway four, cleared to land." The crew acknowledged.

At 0612:34, the crew asked, "Tower what's the RVR now for eight five victor tango." The tower responded, "…runway four RVR one thousand six hundred."
The crew acknowledged.

At 0614:44, the tower controller said, "Gulfstream eight five victor tango, check your altitude, altitude indicates four hundred feet." There was no response by the flight crew and there were no more communications with the flightcrew of N85VT.

Ongoing investigative efforts continue primarily in the areas of flight operations, examination of the MSAW and instrument landing systems at HOU, and documentation of the maintenance records and cockpit instrumentation.