ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 37862
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| Date: | Friday 24 December 1993 |
| Time: | 20:06 LT |
| Type: |  Aero Commander 100-180 |
| Owner/operator: | Guy S. Quigley |
| Registration: | N4042X |
| MSN: | 5142 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3529 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-A2F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Chico, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Palo Alto, CA (KPAO) |
| (KCIC) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT & 2 PASSENGERS WERE RETURNING TO CHICO AT NIGHT. WHILE EN ROUTE, THE DESTINATION WEATHER BEGAN TO DETERIORATE. THE PILOT REQUESTED & RECEIVED SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE INTO THE AIRPORT TRAFFIC AREA (ATA), & WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 13L. MINUTES LATER, HE TRANSMITTED HE WAS 'A LITTLE HIGH' & WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO GO AROUND. THE CONTROLLER THEN APPROVED THE FLIGHT FOR 'RIGHT TRAFFIC.' THE AIRPLANE CRASHED ON FLAT TERRAIN ABOUT 1 MILE WEST OF THE AIRPORT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED IT IMPACTED IN A LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE WHILE ON A NORTHERLY HEADING. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. ABOUT 1 MINUTE BEFORE THE CONTROLLER ISSUED THE SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE, HE SENT A SPECIAL WEATHER OBSERVATION TO REDBLUFF FSS THAT THE WEATHER WAS: INDEFINITE CEILING; SKY OBSCURED; VISIBILITY ZERO. HE DID NOT TRANSMIT THIS INFO TO THE PILOT. HE CONTINUED TO APPROVE SPECIAL VFR OPERATIONS, ALTHOUGH HE COULD NOT SEE AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY. TOWER WAS ABOUT 1/4 MILE FROM THE RUNWAY & ABOUT 5/8 MILE FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY.
Probable Cause: ISSUANCE OF AN IMPROPER (SPECIAL VFR) CLEARANCE BY THE TOWER CONTROLLER, WHILE THE VISIBILITY WAS LESS THAN ONE MILE, CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, FOG, FAILURE OF THE CONTROLLER TO ADVISE THE PILOT OF THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX94LA079
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 09:39 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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