- Date
- May 27, 1992, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Avalon, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N5874SBeech S-35
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920527016649A
- Case key
- 27431
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) Improper preflight planning, 2) the pilots selection of the wrong runway for departure which put the aircraft immediately in an area of restricted visibility and fog after liftoff, 3) the pilots intentional flight into instrument conditions, and 4) his failure to select a proper initial altitude to clear the surrounding terrain.
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 obtained a preflight weather briefing and filed an IFR flight plan for the 30 minute flight from catalina island to the mainland at long beach, California. According to the airport manager at the private uncontrolled airport, the pilot stated to him that he had an IFR clearance on file, but he might go VFR on runway 4. The pilot then taxied out to runway 22 and called on the UNICOM ready for departure. The manager gave the pilot the altimeter setting and wind then the aircraft departed. The manager stated that the weather at the time was sky obscured with an indefinite ceiling. He said the visibility for runway 22 was .25 of a mile while the visibility for runway 4 was 1 mile. The pilot never opened his flight plan. The wreckage was located about an hour later by a motorist about one half mile northwest of the airport and about 100 feet below the runway elevation. The wreckage path was measured to be about 358 degrees magnetic. Ground scar measurements indicated that the airplane was in a right 10 degree banked turn in a slight nose down attitude at impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5874S
- Reported as
- Beech S-35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-7759
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-BA, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Marin Pilots Association
- Registered owner
- Marin Pilots Association
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 1992
- Departed
- AXV · Santa Catalina, CA
- Destination
- LGB · Long Beach, 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
- 66
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,300 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N5874S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.