- Date
- December 31, 1992, 15:36 local (23:36 UTC)
- Place
- Herlong, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N300CPRockwell 690B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921231052539A
- Case key
- 27817
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
An inadvertent encounter with severe turbulence which exceeded the design strength of the airplane's structure.
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 and flight nurse were en route to pick up a medical patient. The airplane experienced an in-flight breakup while flying by the leeward side of the sierra Nevada mountains in the general area where standing lenticular clouds had been observed. No evidence was found that the pilot obtained a weather briefing from flight service or the duat vendors prior to departure. Pilots flying in the general area had reported airspeed variances from plus 60 to minus 40 KTS. An in-flight weather advisory for occasional moderate turbulence was in effect. About one hour after the accident the weather service issued a SIGMET for severe turbulence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N300CP
- Reported as
- Rockwell 690B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 11374
- Airframe hours
- 4,052
- Engine
- Garrett 331-5-251K, 717 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Medic Air, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Brs Services, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · December 12, 1992
- Departed
- RNO · Reno, NV
- Destination
- SVE · Susanville, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- 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
- 6,984 total · 782 in this make and model · 87 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.