Salinas

Before taking off, the pilot canceled an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan that she had filed and requested a visual flight rules (VFR) on-top clearance, which the controller issued via the Monterey Five departure procedure. The departure procedure included a left turn after takeoff. The pilot took off and climbed to about 818 ft then entered a right turn. The air traffic controller noticed that the airplane was in a right-hand turn rather than a left-hand turn and issued a heading correction to continue a right-hand turn to 030o , which the pilot acknowledged. The airplane continued the climbing turn for another 925 ft then entered a descent. The controller issued two low altitude alerts with no response from the pilot. No further radio communication with the pilot was received. The airplane continued the descent until it contacted trees, terrain, and a residence about 1 mile from the departure airport. Review of weather information indicated prevailing instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in the area due to a low ceiling, with ceilings near 800 ft above ground level and tops near 2,000 ft msl. Examination of the airframe and engines did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane’s climbing right turn occurred shortly after the airplane entered IMC while the pilot was acknowledging a frequency change, contacting the next controller, and acknowledging the heading instruction. Track data show that as the right-hand turn continued, the airplane began descending, which was not consistent with its clearance. Review of the pilot’s logbook showed that the pilot had not met the instrument currency requirements and was likely not proficient at controlling the airplane on instruments. The pilot’s lack of recent experience operating in IMC combined with a momentary diversion of attention to manage the radio may have contributed to the development of spatial disorientation, resulting in a loss of airplane control.

The aircraft impacted terrain following an in-flight breakup near Shaver Lake, California. The private pilot/registered owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence, and was partially consumed by postimpact fire. The cross-country flight departed Salinas Municipal Airport, Salinas, California, at 1837, with a planned destination of Eppley Airfield, Omaha, Nebraska. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The pilot was the son of the passenger. Both had spent the weekend attending a driving academy at the Laguna Seca Raceway, having arrived in the accident airplane earlier in the week. According to the pilot's wife, they had encountered strong headwinds during the outbound flight from Omaha, and had decided to take advantage of tailwinds for the return flight that night, rather than stay in a hotel. The pilot planned to return his father to Omaha, and then fly to his residence in Missouri the following day. Radar and voice communication data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that prior to departure, the pilot was given an IFR clearance to Omaha, and that during his interaction with clearance delivery personnel he read back the clearance correctly. A few minutes after departing Salinas the airplane was cleared to fly direct to the Panoche VORTAC (co-located very high frequency omnidirectional range (VOR) beacon and tactical air navigation system). The airplane followed a direct course of 60 degrees; reaching Panoche at a mode C reported altitude of 17,200 feet, about 14 minutes later. The airplane continued on that course, reaching the Clovis VOR at 1912, coincident to attaining the pilots stated cruise altitude of 27,000 feet. The pilot reported leveling for cruise, and flying direct to Omaha. The sector controller reported that the pilot should fly direct to the Coaldale VOR and then to Omaha, and the pilot responded, acknowledging the correction. For the next 5 minutes, the airplane continued at the same altitude and heading, with no further transmissions from the pilot. The airplane then began a descending turn to the right, with a final mode C reported radar target recorded 60 seconds later. During that period, it descended to 22,600 feet, with an accompanying increase in ground speed from about 190 to 375 knots. For the remaining 6 minutes, a 6.5-mile-long cluster of primary targets (no altitude information) was observed emanating from the airplane's last location, on a heading of about 150 degrees. Following the initial route deviation, the air traffic controller made five attempts to make contact with the pilot with no success. Throughout the climb and cruise portion of the flight, the airplane flew directly to the assigned waypoints with minimal course variation, in a manner consistent with the pilot utilizing the autopilot.

Crashed in unknown circumstances. Both pilots were injured.

Crashed in unknown circumstances near Salinas. There were no injuries among the occupant while the aircraft was destroyed by a post crash fire.

En route from Salina to Denver, the pilot informed ATC about an engine failure and elected to divert to the nearest airport. The airplane lost height and eventually stalled and crashed in Hays. The aircraft was destroyed and all seven occupants were killed.

Few minutes after takeoff from Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport, both engines failed. The crew reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in an open field and came to rest, broken in two. The wreckage was found near Lloa, some 28 km southwest of Quito Airport. While all 10 passengers were injured, both pilots were killed.
Crew:
Cpt César Egas, pilot,
Lt Galo Molina Hidalgo, pilot.

The Paradise Airlines Lockheed Constellation operated Flight 901A from Oakland (OAK) to Tahoe-Valley Airport (TVL) via Salinas (SNS) and San Jose (SJC). The aircraft departed Oakland at 08:43 and was ferried to Salinas, arriving at 09:11. The flight departed at 09:27 with 18 passengers and arrived at San Jose at 09:46. The Constellation departed was airborne again at 10:40 on a VFR flight plan. After becoming airborne, the crew requested and received an IFR clearance via airways Victor 6 South to Sacramento, Victor 6 to the Lake Tahoe VOR, to maintain 11,000 feet. The company prepared flight plan then called for a VFR flight to the Tahoe Valley Airport because there was no approved IFR approach procedure for the destination. At 10:57 Flight 901A was in radio communication with Paradise Flight 802 which was outbound from the Tahoe Valley Airport. The captain of Flight 802 advised the crew of Flight 901 that he had encountered "...icing at 12,000 (feet) ... there were snow showers over the lake and clouds topping mountains in the vicinity ...". Flight 901A then climbed to a cruising altitude of 15000 feet. The crew of Flight 901A contacted the Paradise Airlines passenger agent at the Tahoe Valley Airport at 11:27. At this time he gave them the 11:00 Tahoe Valley weather which was: Estimated ceiling 2,000 feet overcast; 3 miles visibility; snow showers; temperature 32°; dewpoint 32°; wind from 210°; 10 knots, gusts to 15 knots; altimeter 29.97. He also asked the crew to call the company if they decided to land at Reno, Nevada rather than Tahoe Valley. The crew acknowledged this transmission with "will do." The crew apparently decided to abandon the approach. They took up a heading which took them towards the high terrain east of the lake. It is very likely that from their position over the Tahoe VOR they were able to observe the VFR conditions that existed east of Lake Tahoe on the leeward side of the mountains. Additionally, investigators assumed that the first officer was aware of the existence of Daggett Pass and considered it an access to VFR conditions beyond the pass. An altitude of 9,000 feet would provide about 1,500 feet terrain clearance through the center of the pass. Then, either because they believed they had sufficient altitude to clear the terrain or because they were unable to climb higher due to structural ice, the aircraft leveled off. At that time the aircraft struck several trees on the west slope of a ridge of Genoa Peak at approximately 8,675 ft, slightly right-wing-low in a nearly level flight attitude. The airplane broke up, killing all aboard.