- Date
- November 29, 1992, 13:28 local (21:28 UTC)
- Place
- Thornton, CA
- Injuries
- 5 fatal
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA reports
- 19921129048141A19921129048142A
- Case key
- 27813
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 failure of the pilots of both airplanes to see and avoid each other. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the sacramento controller to advise the stockton controller of the impending unsafe situation, and the failure of the stockton controller to issue a traffic advisory and a safety alert to the pilot of the C-180, N3313D.
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
After departure from sacramento, the plt of the C-210, N784RF, had declined further radar traffic advisories, and was climbing on about a 152 deg heading. The pilot had changed radio freq, and was receiving weather advisories for his destination airport. The C-180, N3313D, was in cruise flight at 3,100 ft on about a 307 deg heading, and the pilot had just terminated his participation in receiving radar traffic advisories from the stockton TRACON. The two airplanes collided near head-on about half way between two TRACON facilities. The right wing of the C-210 contacted the left wing of the C-180, and both wings separated about mid-span in about a 90-DEG orientation from each other. Visibility was reported as 10 mi in haze. Other pilots reported that smoke limited visibility from 1 to 5 mi in the area. Both airplanes had mode c altitude encoding, and both were depicted on radar prior to the collision.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N784RF
- Reported as
- Cessna T210M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- T21062631
- Airframe hours
- 1,710
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-540-R, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Franich, Russell
- Registered owner
- Franich, Russell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 12, 1992 · 71 hours before
- Departed
- SAC · Sacramento, CA
- Destination
- CMA · Camarillo, 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.
- Registration
- N3313D
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3211
- Airframe hours
- 3,747
- Engine
- Continental O-470-J, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Wallace, Bennie
- Registered owner
- Wallace, Bennie
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 19, 1992 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- L65 · Perris, CA
- Destination
- 2Q3 · Woodland, 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N784RF
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N3313D
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,468 total · 1,407 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SCK, 19 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 2
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.