Last updated: 24 February 2020
| Status: | Final |
| Date: | Thursday 6 January 1977 |
| Time: | 17:00 |
| Type: |  Learjet 24B |
| Operator: | Jet Avia |
| Registration: | N12MK |
| C/n / msn: | 24-192 |
| First flight: | 1969 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Damaged beyond repair |
| Location: | 35 km (21.9 mls) NW of Palm Springs, CA ( United States of America)
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| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Palm Springs Municipal Airport, CA (PSP/KPSP), United States of America |
| Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport, NV (LAS/KLAS), United States of America |
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:
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Classification:
Wrong or misinterpreted ATC instructions Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
Photos
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.
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.
