- Date
- April 12, 1992, 13:02 local (20:02 UTC)
- Place
- Baxter, CA
- Injuries
- 5 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9TGCessna P210N
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920412009619A
- Case key
- 27421
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
1) A partial loss of the airplane's vacuum system which resulted in the total loss of the directional gyro and the attitude indicator, 2) the pilot not maintaining aircraft control due spatial disorientation, and 3) the pilot not correcting for a spiral by using proper recovery techniques which resulted in the overload failure of the wings. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of total insturment flight expereince.
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 called center while airborne and requested an IFR clearance. About 15 minutes after receiving the clearance, the pilot was given a vector for traffic. The pilot said he needed help and asked if he was on course. The pilot then said he was in an unusual attitude and couldn't determine why. About 15 seconds later the pilot said 'okay I'll ah we might be in a spin.' The controller said that he was showing the airplane as level and asked if the pilot was having problems. The pilot said 'yes our vacuum ah our artifical gyro is showng us at a very unusual attitude.' The airplane was observed coming out of the clouds with wings separating from the airplane. The airplane had a vacuum system problem which was recorded as repaired and checked as ok about 2 1/2 months before the accident. The pilot had about 4 hours of actual and about 56 hours simulated instrument time. The vacuum pump was destroyed in the impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9TG
- Reported as
- Cessna P210N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- P21000012
- Airframe hours
- 1,125
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-P, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Amat, Incorporated
- Registered owner
- Amat, Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 4, 1992 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- TRK · Truckee, CA
- Destination
- OAK · Oakland, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 320 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.