- Date
- December 25, 1992, 21:37 local (Dec 26, 1992, 05:37 UTC)
- Place
- Lester, WA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N111MNAero Commander 680FL
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 16, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921225051609A
- Case key
- 42934
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
Undetermined.
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, the airplane intercepted airway V-2, and appeared to climb normally until reaching 8300 ft (9000 assigned) while tracking aprx 110 deg mag. Radar analysis showed the airplane at 128 KIAS when it abruptly turned left 30 deg and then appeared to recover. Voice communication during this event was normal with no change in the pilot's level of anxiety. Immediately thereafter, the heading changed over 90 deg to the left (northbound), and a maximum 6750 fpm rate of descent developed before the heading stabilized and the descent slowed. The airplane's ground impact site was aprx 1 NM sw of the last radar target. Wreckage distribution was roughly parallel to V-2. The airplane impacted the mountainside in a steep nose low, left wing down attitude. The engines, propellers/governors were disassembled and inspected with no evidence of mechanical malfunction. Exam of the left propeller indicated low power on impact. There was no evidence of significant icing/turbulence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N111MN
- Reported as
- Aero Commander 680FL
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1806-150
- Airframe hours
- 11,219
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720-B1B, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Corporate Air
- Registered owner
- Corporate Air
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · December 1, 1992 · 42 hours before
- Departed
- SEA · Seattle, WA
- Destination
- GEG · Spokane, WA
- 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
- 36
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,108 total · 138 in this make and model · 2,629 as pilot in command · 151 in the last 90 days · 62 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
- Wind
- 180° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SEA, 35 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.