Avionics
CFIT blamed for last year’s crash of EGPWS-equipped King Air 200
The crash is believed to be the first CFIT loss of a civil turbine-powered airplane equipped with an enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS).

The crash of a Mercy Flight King Air 200 on Feb. 6, 2007, near Bozeman, Mont., is believed to be the first CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) loss of a civil turbine-powered airplane equipped with an enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS).

The NTSB last month blamed Metro Aviation pilot Vince Kirol, 59, for the crash about 13 nm north of Bozeman’s Gallatin Field, saying he failed to maintain altitude while descending for landing on a dark, overcast night. The King Air struck a 5,700-foot ridge about 80 feet below its peak, killing Kirol, a flight nurse and a paramedic.