ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 36819
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| Date: | Friday 12 November 1993 |
| Time: | 13:17 LT |
| Type: |  Beechcraft V35 Bonanza |
| Owner/operator: | Gary L. Mc Coy |
| Registration: | N630AW |
| MSN: | D-8500 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3208 hours |
| Engine model: | CONTINENTAL IO-520-BA |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Shaver Lake, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | San Jose, CA (KRHV) |
| Death Valley, CA (L06 | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
DURING A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT CROSSED HIGH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WHERE AREAS OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS WERE REPORTED. AIRMETS HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR TURBULENCE, MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION, AND ICING CONDITIONS. SATELLITE IMAGES REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF STANDING LENTICULAR CLOUDS. A WEATHER BRIEFING WAS NOT OBTAINED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. NO VOICE COMMUNICATIONS WERE RECEIVED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND NO IN-FLIGHT SERVICES WERE BEING PROVIDED BY THE FAA. RADAR DATA INDICATED THAT THE AIRPLANE MADE SEVERAL MANEUVERING TURNS AND A RAPID DESCENT BEFORE RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED AN IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP AND WAS SCATTERED OVER A 3/4-MILE AREA. A TRAJECTORY STUDY INDICATED THAT THE LOCATION OF THE SEPARATED AIRPLANE COMPONENTS WAS CONSISTENT WITH A BREAKUP ALTITUDE OF 14,000 FEET.
Probable Cause: An in-flight breakup of the airplane following the pilot's continued VFR flight into IMC conditions during which directional control of the airplane was not maintained, and the design limits of the airplane were exceeded. The pilot's inadequate evaluation of the weather conditions that consisted of mountain wave activity and standing lenticular clouds were factors in the accident.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX94FA048
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 10-Apr-2024 10:12 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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