ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 44959
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 16 January 2004 |
| Time: | 14:15 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft B55 Baron |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N555RD |
| MSN: | TC-2025 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Tehachapi, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Tehachapi-Kern County Airport, CA (TSP/KTSP) |
| Bakersfield-Meadows Field, CA (BFL/KBFL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Cessna 180K and a Beech 95-B55 collided head-on during cruise flight over a valley, between 1,500 and 2,000 feet above ground level. The Cessna's right wing separated, and the airplane descended to ground impact. The Beech, which had been in a cruise climb, experienced a punctured windscreen and fuselage. The pilot made a precautionary landing without further mishap. The collision occurred on a clear day about 6 miles west of the Tehachapi Airport, from where the Beech pilot had departed. Neither pilot was receiving services from the Federal Aviation Administration. Radar track data indicated that the Cessna had flown in a southeasterly direction after departing the Bakersfield area. Minutes prior to the collision, the pilot changed to a northerly course. Seconds prior to the collision the pilot initiated a northeasterly turn. The Beech pilot had just configured his airplane for a cruise climb, and was flying in a westerly direction toward Bakersfield. The Cessna was flying about 135 knots, and the Beech was flying about 140 knots. The closing speed was about 275 knots, or just over 4 miles per minute. The Cessna was equipped with a Mode S transponder, and its signal was detected by Traffic Collision Alerting Device (TCAD) installed in the Beech. Seconds prior to the collision, the Beech pilot heard the audible "traffic" alert warning in his headset, and he observed an illuminated target in close proximity on the annunicator. The target was within 200 feet of his airplane's altitude, and in his 1 to 2 o'clock position. The Beech pilot reported that although he looked for the target, none was seen. The collision angle between the airplanes was documented. The impact was ascertained by fitting the Cessna's right main landing gear wheel in the punctured right side front windscreen of the Beech. As the Cessna's landing gear passed through the upper portion of the Beech's fuselage, the right wing's lift strut was lacerated upon impacting the leading edge of the Beech's vertical stabilizer. Thereafter, the Cessna's right wing separated. An evaluation of the pilots' visual angles revealed the airplanes were within each pilot's field of vision.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate visual lookout during cruise, and the pilot of the other airplane's inadequate visual lookout during climb.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040124X00105&key=1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Dec-2017 17:36 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Total occupants, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Apr-2019 12:13 | liamdaniel98 | Updated [Total fatalities, Other fatalities] |
| 08-Jun-2023 04:05 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Total fatalities, Other fatalities]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation