- Date
- September 18, 1989, 11:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Escondido, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N566BBeech A35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 22792
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Spatial disorientation of the pilot after he initiated flight into IMC conditions, and his exceeding the design stress limits of the airplane during the attempted recovery. Related factors were: the pilot's lack of total and recent instrument flight experience, and the operator's inadequate recurrent training program.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot was cleared for a climb to cruise and was advised to maintain VFR. A post-accident weather study indicated that he would have been in IMC conditions from about 3000 feet through 7500 feet MSL. After initiating a climb on course, the pilot lost control of the airplane at 7100 feet and it entered a right descending spiral. During the uncontrolled descent, just prior to ground impact, the outer 1/2 of the right wing separated in overstress. The non-instrument rated pilot had logged a total of 5 hours of actual and 14 hours of hood time, the last of which was logged 2-1/2 years before the accident. The operator did not have an instrument or inadvertent IMC training program.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N566B
- Reported as
- Beech A35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-1586
- Airframe hours
- 6,261
- Engine
- Continental E-225-8, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Operator
- U.S. Coast Guard
- Registered owner
- Robert J. Duffield
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1989 · 107 hours before
- Departed
- SDB · San Diego, CA
- Destination
- L66 · Corona, CA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 71
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,390 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 2,367 as pilot in command · 52 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CRQ, 18 nm away