Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Chico, California 95926
Sunday, July 12, 1992 9:00 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PILOT SAID HE WAS FLYING SOME FAMILY MEMBERS ON A TOUR OF THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAIN RANGE FOOT HILLS WHEN THE FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED SOME RAPIDLY BUILDING CUMULUS CLOUDS WHILE CRUISING AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 11,500 FEET MSL. THE PILOT SAID HE WAS NAVIGATING AROUND THE BUILD UPS ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN VFR CONDITIONS WHEN THE CLOUDS SURROUNDED THE AIRCRAFT. THE FLIGHT INADVERTENTLY ENTERED ONE OF THE LARGE CLOUDS AND THE PILOT SAID THE AIRCRAFT ENDED UP IN A HIGH SPEED SPIRAL DIVE AT AN AIRSPEED IN EXCESS OF ABOUT 190 KNOTS. THE PILOT FURTHER STATED THAT HE, WITH THE HELP OF HIS SON, 'STARTED PULLING BACK ON THE WHEEL' AND RECOVERED CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE FLIGHT THEN RETURNED TO ITS HOME BASE AND LANDED. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BY FAA INSPECTORS REVEALED THAT BOTH WINGS HAD MAJOR BUCKLES AT THE PRODUCTION JOINTS BETWEEN THE INBOARD AND OUTBOARD WING PANELS, WITH THE OUTBOARD PANELS EXHIBITING AN UPWARD PERMANENT SET. IN ADDITION, THE FUSELAGE IMMEDIATELY AFT OF THE FIREWALL AND FORWARD OF THE EMPENNAGE EXHIBITED AREAS OF SKIN BUCKLING.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
1) THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT ENTRY INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, 2) HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION, 3) THE INADVERTENT ENTRY INTO A SPIRAL DIVE AT AN EXCESSIVE AIRSPEED, AND, 4) THE PILOT'S IMPROPER USE OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS WHICH IMPOSED EXCESSIVE LOADS ON THE AIRFRAME DURING THE ATTEMPTED RECOVERY FROM THE SPIRAL DIVE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/12/1992 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 900 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | CHICO |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 95926 |
| Event Date Year | 1992 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 6000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 3 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2549 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 30 1992 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1011 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 47381 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 3:05PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N7904L |
| NTSB Number | LAX92LA322 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | VFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | BEECH |
| Aircraft Model | A23A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | A23A |
| Aircraft Serial Number | M979 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2400 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jan 2 2000 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | EVERT O. WILKERSON |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 360 VINE STREET |
| Aircraft Owner City | VACAVILLE |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 95688 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | EVERT O. WILKERSON |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | 360 VINE STREET |
| Operator City | VACAVILLE |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 95688 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | O45 |
| Departure City | VACAVILLE |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 700 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | O45 |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |