Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Dinsmore, California 95526
Wednesday, May 24, 1989 14:40 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PILOT HAD CONTACTED FSS EARLIER IN THE DAY AT 0640 AND REQUESTED ONLY CURRENT WX AT EUREKA FOR A ROUND-TRIP FLT FROM LAKEPORT TO EUREKA & RETURN. THE FLT DEPARTED EUREKA AT ABOUT 1415 FOR THE RETURN FLT. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE FLYING VERY LOW IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN; ONE WITNESS STATED '... HE CAME UP OUT OF THE FOG AT CLOSE TO TREETOP LEVEL ...' THE WX WAS DESCRIBED AS LOW CLOUDS, FOG, AND LIGHT RAIN. WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED IN RISING 4,900-FT MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. PILOT TYPICALLY FLEW NEAR HWY 101 EXCEPT DURING INCLEMENT WX WHEN HE WOULD DIVERT TO THE EAST & FLY VIA HWY 36. HE HAD A MOTOR VEHICLE PARKED AT RUTH AIRPORT FOR USE IN INSTANCES OF VERY POOR WX. PILOT HAD ANOTHER FLT SCHEDULED FOR 1500 AT LAKEPORT, AND WAS ALSO SCHEDULED TO TEACH SCHOOL AT 1800.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE PILOT'S INTENTIONAL VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE TERRAIN CLEARANCE. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN WEATHER INFORMATION, HIS OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILITY TO FLY IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN IN THE EXISTING WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE URGENCY TO RETURN FOR OTHER PLANNED ACTIVITIES, THE EXISTING WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN CONDITION.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/24/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1440 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | DINSMORE |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 95526 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| 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 | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Partial - limited by pilot |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 1449 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 148 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ACV |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 218 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 48 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 1500 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 13 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 11 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 260 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 8 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 4 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 4 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2338 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jun 1 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1830 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 42411 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 12:41PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N4527F |
| NTSB Number | LAX89FA211 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-28-181 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-28-181 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 28-7790041 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2550 |
| 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 | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | JACK A. FEARNOW |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | P.O. BOX 471 |
| Aircraft Owner City | ASHLAND |
| Aircraft Owner State | OR |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 97520 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| 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) | Business |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | EKA |
| Departure City | EUREKA |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1415 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | 102 |
| Destination City | LAKEPORT |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Maneuvering |
| 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 | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |