ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 44916
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| Date: | Thursday 11 March 2004 |
| Time: | 20:35 |
| Type: |  Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 Solitaire |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N966MA |
| MSN: | 405SA |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4119 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Napa, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Imperial County Airport, CA (IPL/KIPL) |
| Napa County Airport, CA (APC/KAPC) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On March 11, 2004, at 2035 Pacific standard time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-40, N966MA, crashed into the Napa River under unknown circumstances, while on approach to the Napa County Airport (APC), Napa, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane was destroyed. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight that departed the Imperial County Airport (IPL), Imperial, California, at an undetermined time. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed.
The airplane entered a descending turn while on a night visual approach and impacted a river. At 2030, the pilot reported leaving 6,000 feet, and stated that he had the airport in sight. The controller cleared him for the approach. He advised the controller that he would like to cancel his IFR clearance, and switch to the traffic advisory frequency. The controller cleared him to switch to advisory frequency. No further transmissions were recorded from the flight. According to radar data, the airplane was southeast of the airport, and maintaining a westerly heading south of the airport. At 2035, it crossed a river, and began a sharp left turn away from the airport. It completed about 90 degrees of turn before abruptly disappearing from radar contact, with the last radar target on the west side of the river near the impact location. The highly fragmented wreckage was recovered from the river after several weeks underwater. The teardown and examination of the engines disclosed that the left engine was not rotating or operating at the time of impact, and the left propeller was in feather. The type and degree of damage to the right engine was indicative of engine rotation and operation at the time of impact. Investigators found no pre-existing condition on either engine, or with the airframe systems, that would have interfered with normal operation, or explained the apparent shutdown of the left engine.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane following a shutdown of the left engine during a night visual approach. A factor contributing to the accident was the dark night.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040319X00344&key=1
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 06-Sep-2013 16:48 | wf | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Dec-2017 17:47 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
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