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| Date: | Wednesday 18 January 2023 |
| Time: | 13:07 |
| Type: |  Cessna 414 |
| Owner/operator: | Aircraft Charter and Leasing LLC |
| Registration: | N4765G |
| MSN: | 414-0940 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1977 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3574 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Modesto-City County Airport (MOD/KMOD), Modesto, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Modesto City-County Airport, CA (MOD/KMOD) |
| Concord-Buchanan Field, CA (CCR/KCCR) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On January 18, 2023, at 1307 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 414 airplane, N4765G, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Modesto, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Shortly after taking off, the pilot was instructed to change from the airport tower frequency to the departure control frequency. Numerous radio transmissions followed between tower personnel and the pilot that indicated the airplane’s radio was operating normally on the tower frequency, but the pilot could not change frequencies to departure control as directed. The pilot subsequently requested and received approval to return to the departure airport. During the flight back to the airport, the pilot made radio transmissions that indicated he continued to troubleshoot the radio problems.
The airplane’s flight track showed the pilot flew directly toward the runway aimpoint about 1,000 ft from, and perpendicular to, the runway during the left base turn to final and allowed the airplane to descend as low as 200 ft pressure altitude (PA). The pilot then made a right turn about .5 miles from the runway followed by a left turn towards the runway. A pilot witness near the accident location observed the airplane maneuvering and predicted the airplane was going to stall. The airplane’s airspeed decreased to about 53 knots (kts) during the left turn and video showed the airplane’s bank angle increased before the airplane aerodynamically stalled and impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the airframe, engines, and review of recorded engine monitoring data revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Toxicology testing showed the pilot had diphenhydramine, a sedating antihistamine, in his liver and muscle tissue. While therapeutic levels could not be determined, side effects such as diminished psychomotor performance from his use of diphenhydramine were not evident from operational evidence. Thus, the effects of the pilot’s use of diphenhydramine was not a factor in this accident.
The accident is consistent with the pilot becoming distracted by the reported non-critical radio anomaly and turning base leg of the traffic pattern too early during his return to the airport. The pilot then failed to maintain adequate airspeed and proper bank angle while maneuvering from base leg to final approach, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and failure to maintain proper airspeed during a turn to final, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distraction due to a non-critical radio anomaly.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/sheriff-1-dead-in-small-plane-crash-near-modesto-airport/
https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article271341572.html
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=106599
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=4765G
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a5da72&lat=37.621&lon=-120.953&zoom=14.0&showTrace=2023-01-18
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N4765G/history/20230118/2111Z/KMOD/KMOD
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/6/43067_1555653665.jpg (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
Plane crash update: Only one person was on the plane at the time of the crash. That occupant was pronounced deceased at the scene. pic.twitter.com/8NEFudVoV4
— Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office (@StanSheriff) January 18, 2023
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Aug-2024 10:53 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Phase, Source, Narrative, Accident report, Photo, ] |
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