- Date
- November 19, 1990, 21:40 local (Nov 20, 1990, 04:40 UTC)
- Place
- Kingman, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5748KBeech S-35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901119051729A
- Case key
- 26965
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
Proper altitude not maintained. Contributing to the accident was: the lack of supplemental oxygen on board the aircraft, pilot fatigue, improper use of the auto pilot, and pilot complacency.
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 57 year old pilot departed late in the day for a 7 to 8 hour cross country flight to beat some incoming weather. He had been pheasant hunting for two days prior. The second leg of his trip was a dark night departure for which he filed a VFR flight plan and indicated 12500 feet MSL as his cruising altitude. Radar data disclosed that he climbed to 13100 feet at one point, however, his overall route of flight for nearly 3 hours was one of a meandering and undulating track. The approximate last 10 minutes of flight was a gradual on tract descent to impact at about 5700 feet, about an hour short of his destination. He carried no supplemental oxygen. Friends indicated he frequently took 'cat naps' on long cross country trips while letting the auto pilot fly the aircraft. His autopilot was operational except for the altitude hold.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5748K
- Reported as
- Beech S-35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-7535
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-B, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Crimmins, William H.
- Departed
- GJT · Grand Junction, CO
- Destination
- TRM · Thermal, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 37 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- PRC, 70 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.