ASN Aircraft accident Learjet 24B N12MK Palm Springs, CA
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Thursday 6 January 1977
Time:17:00
Type:Silhouette image of generic LJ24 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Learjet 24B
Operator:Jet Avia
Registration: N12MK
MSN: 24-192
First flight: 1969
Crew:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Passengers:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Total:Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:35 km (21.9 mls) NW of Palm Springs, CA (   United States of America)
Crash site elevation: 2957 m (9701 feet) amsl
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Palm Springs Municipal Airport, CA (PSP/KPSP), United States of America
Destination airport:Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport, NV (LAS/KLAS), United States of America
Narrative:
Climbed to FL90 out of Palm Springs on a flight to Las Vegas. The crew misinterpreted the IFR clearance and ATC instructions, maintained runway heading and flew into a mountain at an altitude of 9,700 ft.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The flightcrew's misinterpretation of the instrument flight rules clearance, and subsequent ATC instructions issued by the Palm Springs Departure Control. Contributing to the accident was the controller's failure to detect the aircraft's deviation,from the route of flight contained in the ATC clearance and the flightcrew's failure to recognize their proximity to the high terrain."

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: NTSB
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 273 days (9 months)
Accident number: NTSB-AAR-77-08
Download report: Final report

Classification:
Language/communication problems
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain

Photos

photo of Learjet-24B-N12MK
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Palm Springs Municipal Airport, CA to Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport, NV as the crow flies is 277 km (173 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of kilometers.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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