Bonanza 36
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Private
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 60; Flight Crew Total 590; Flight Crew Type 400
Fatigue; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Air Traffic Control Issued Advisory / Alert; Flight Crew Became Reoriented
Human Factors
End of day five hour flight to HFD; night approach approximately 1 hour after sunset. Calm weather; CAVU VFR conditions. I was cleared for the visual approach to HFD Runway 20. I flew to what I thought was a base leg. Things look different at night; and I flew too far north of the field; losing visual contact with the field in behind the buildings and lights of the City of Hartford. While trying to correct and configure for landings; I descended to approximately 800 FT MSL. Hartford Tower called to confirm that I had field in sight. I reported affirmative. Hartford then called Bradley Approach; 'because they may be concerned; I'll check in for you;'(or words to that effect.) Hartford Tower confirmed that Bradley had a 'low altitude' alarm on my aircraft and Tower said that the flight was OK and cleared for landing. I proceeded to land without further incident. Contributing factors: 1) Fatigue at end of day; with five hour flight after a day of meetings. 2) Complacency about the approach; since I believed I knew the field well. Corrective measures: 1) More night flying practice with an instructor. 2) Change night operations SOP to include over flight of field at pattern altitude on order to join downwind; base; and final without losing sight of the field.
BE36 pilot is advised to check altitude during a night visual approach to Runway 20 at HFD. The reporter had descended to 800 FT MSL several miles to the northwest of the field.