- Date
- July 31, 1988, 12:17 local (19:17 UTC)
- Place
- Big Pine, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N414YVCessna 414A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880731033699A
- Case key
- 25854
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
The pilot intentionally flew over an area of high terrain in which he failed to maintain the proper altitude and he delayed his decision to reverse course. A contributing factor was the pilot's improper in-flight decision.
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-owner decided to overfly a glacier which was located in the sierra Nevada mountains. The glacier was located near the 12,000 foot MSL base of a 14,000 foot MSL mountain near the head of a box canyon. Witnesses reported clearly observing the acft enter the canyon area. When the acft was nearly over the glacier the acft was observed to commence a course reversal. During the turn the acft stalled, descended rapidly & crashed into rocky 40 degree upsloping terrain whereupon it burned.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N414YV
- Reported as
- Cessna 414A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 414A0529
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-NB, 340 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Curtis D. Lorenz
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 18, 1988
- Departed
- BIH · Bishop, CA
- Destination
- MYF · San Diego, 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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.