Florida Plane Crash Blamed on Airline Pilot Hurrying to Work

An airline pilot hurrying to work in Florida last November neglected to get updated weather information and ignored FAA rules when he tried to land his private plane in a thick fog, colliding with a jetliner, federal authorities said Tuesday.

William Bain, a pilot for Eastern Airlines, was killed when his twin-engine plane slammed into a Pan American World Airways jet Nov. 6 at Tampa International Airport. Two passengers and a flight attendant aboard the jet were injured during evacuation.

Bain, who reportedly had been warned about being late for work, tried to land his Piper Apache after failing once to make his way through the fog, according to a National Transportation Safety Board investigation.

Bain, 56, was scheduled to pilot a flight from Tampa to Newark, N.J., about an hour after the crash. However, at the time of the accident he had about 15 minutes to be on time for his preflight check-in, the safety board’s investigation report said.

The safety board determined that pilot error was the cause of the crash and that poor planning by Bain, along with self-imposed pressure to get to work, contributed to the accident.

“He didn’t have to put himself in this situation,” said Jim Burnett, chairman of the safety board. “He did have an opportunity to make a wise decision not to land.”

600-Foot Visibility

Visibility at the time of the crash was about 600 feet, roughly one-third of the minimum amount needed, investigators said.

Bain missed the runway and attempted to land on a parallel taxiway about 400 feet away. His plane slid beneath the Pan Am jet, which was preparing for takeoff, and exploded behind the larger aircraft.

Bain had requested weather information the night before the crash but did not request updated weather information before takeoff, the safety board said.