- Date
- May 28, 1988, 19:10 local (May 29, 1988, 02:10 UTC)
- Place
- Shaver Lake, CA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N98683Cessna 421C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880528023329A
- Case key
- 25838
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
Inflight encounter with forcasted severe icing and turbulence beyond the capability of either the aircraft or the pilot , which led to an inflgiht loss of control. Factors in the accident were the pilots lack of understanding of high altitude flight aspects and meterological phenomena.
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 plt bought the acft about 1 month prior to the accident. He had limited exp in the acft, and limited exp with high alt flt and its wx phenomona. The plt obtained two wx breifings for the flt. During both, he was advised of the forecast and plt reported conditions of moderate to severe mixed icing and turbulence associated with a mtn wave on the eastern side of the sierra Nevada mtns. Instead of flying along his intended route on the western side of the mtns, he chose a direct route, which placed the acft on the eastern side of the mtns. The track of the acft was established by recorded radar data. The data showed the acft in cruise at 16,500 ft until about 1 min prior to the accident. The acft was shown to climb to 17,200 feet before it disappeared. The last radar target was observed about 2 miles from the impact location. The acft impacted in a steep nose down descent.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N98683
- Reported as
- Cessna 421C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 421C0209
- Airframe hours
- 2,575
- Engine
- Continental GTSI0-520L, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John D. Mac Donald
- Registered owner
- Brooks Products, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 21, 1987 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- L67 · Rialto, CA
- Destination
- TRK · Truckee, 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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,060 total · 15 in this make and model · 2,950 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 200° at 35 knots, gusting 45
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MMH, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.