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| Date: | Wednesday 27 December 2006 |
| Time: | 13:30 LT |
| Type: |  Beechcraft A36 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N4598S |
| MSN: | E-761 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1975 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3370 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-520 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lake Hughes, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Lancaster-William J Fox Airport, CA (WJF/KWJF) |
| Chico Airport, CA (CIC/KCIC) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Prior to flight, the pilot checked the weather and also received a weather briefing from a Flight Service Station. The briefing revealed high winds and mountain obscuration along his route of flight. In order to avoid the adverse weather, the pilot departed on a westerly heading and climbed to 12,500 feet rather than his usual altitude of 8,500 feet, on a northwesterly heading across mountainous terrain. Thirty minutes into the flight he encountered strong downdrafts and wind shear on the lee side of the mountains. He applied full power, and initiated a 180-degree turn but was unable to maintain altitude. The airplane descended into a cloud layer, and continued to experience severe turbulence; the airplane subsequently stalled and entered a spin. The pilot recovered from the spin momentarily, before the airplane again stalled and entered a second spin. The airplane then exited the clouds at approximately 500 feet agl. The pilot then force landed the airplane into rising terrain.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation and attempted flight into known adverse weather during cruise, and his failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin that resulted in a stall/spin. Turbulence was a factor.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX07LA065
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Oct-2022 15:58 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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