- Date
- April 7, 1990, 10:35 local (17:35 UTC)
- Place
- Kneeland, CA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3674BBeech A36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900407007689A
- Case key
- 26624
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's improper use of IFR procedures by failing to maintain the minimum descent altitude for the segment of the approach that he was flying. The hilly/mountainous terrain was a related factor.
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
While en route from sacramento to arcata, CA, the plt contacted ARTCC & filed an IFR flt plan. As he was apchg the destn at 10,000', he requested a lower alt. He was cleared to dscnd to 8000'. He was then cleared for an ILS rwy 32 apch to an unctld arpt at arcata with a restriction to remain at 8000' until crossing the yager intxn. The plt bgn his dscnt early & crossed the yager intxn at 6700. The acft dscndd below radar coverage at 5300'. Radar svc was terminated & the plt was instructed to contact the arcata fss. He contacted the fss station & was adzd the wx was partially obscd, 400' bkn, 1500' bkn, 2400' ovc, 3 mi vis. The plt acknowledge & said he was in the clouds at 3200', then there was no further contact with the acft. A search was initiated & the acft was found where it had crashed along the ILS course line about 18 mi short of the rwy. Impact occurred on hilly/mountainous terrain at an elev of about 2750'. The min dscnt alt for that segment of the apch was 5200'.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3674B
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-1710
- Engine
- Continental IO-520=BB, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Merle Stone Chevrolet, Inc
- Departed
- Sacramento, CA
- Destination
- ACV · Aracata, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ACV · Arcata, runway 32, 5,998 × 150 ft, macadam
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
- 66
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 3,365 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 6 knots
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- ACV, 17 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.