South Lake Tahoe

The airplane took off from the airport on a left downwind departure and after reaching an altitude of approximately 300 feet, banked steeply and dove into the ground. Witness statements indicated that the takeoff ground roll extended to midfield of the runway, a distance of 4,850 feet before the airplane lifted off. According to the Airplane Flight Manual performance charts, the normal ground roll should have been about 2,100 feet. While turning crosswind, the airplane steepened its bank and continued toward the downwind. As the angle of bank approached 90 degrees, the nose dropped and the airplane descended to impact with trees and the ground. Several trees were struck before the airplane came to rest on the underlying terrain in the backyard of a residence. The airplane was thermally destroyed in the impact sequence and post crash fire. Calculations of the airplane weight and balance data put it at least 251 pounds over maximum allowable gross takeoff weight. Remaining wreckage not consumed in the ground fire was examined and the engine was sent to the manufacturer for inspection. No discrepancies were found. Cockpit instrumentation and all autopilot components were thermally destroyed. Flaps and landing gear were found in the retracted position and the elevator trim surface was slightly nose up from the takeoff setting. The autopilot had a reported history of malfunction and the electric elevator trim system was scheduled for repair a week before the accident, but the owner took the airplane prior to the work being performed. The airplane had been modified with the addition of several Supplemental Type Certificates, one of which was a wing spoiler system. The controls and
many of the actuating linkages for the spoiler system were destroyed in the fire.

Twelve minutes after departure, the left engine began to run rough and vibrate. The pilot said he could not correct the problem and shut the left engine down. No emergency was declared and the pilot told ATC that he would continue to his destination, 210 nm and 1.5 hours away. The pilot overflew 5 airports with runways over 5,000 feet long and a mountain range. The pilot executed a VOR approach and entered an extended downwind pattern. On short final the pilot executed a go around because he did not get any gear down indications. He then maneuvered for a downwind landing on runway 12. The aircraft hit the ground 100 yards short of the runway, then collided with a ditch and the airport fence. An FAA inspector said there were three clear tire tracks from the point of touchdown to the ditch, where the gear was sheared off. He found no problems with the gear system. Exam of the left engine revealed a left magneto internal failure due to lack of lubrication and wear, which caused cylinder cross firing.

According to the aircraft occupants, the aircraft owner, who holds a commercial pilot and cfi certificates, was occupying the right front seat. A friend of the pilot, a 246 hour private pilot with no experience in high performance turbine powered aircraft, was in the left seat and flying the aircraft under the direction of the owner. While on a straight in approach to the airport, the flight was advised three times by the atct of a variable right cross wind from 200 to 220° at speeds from 8 to 14 knots, with higher gust components. The tower also advised the flight of reports of light to moderate turbulence all the way to the ground. Both pilots reported that the aircraft had just touched down on runway 18 when a sudden cross wind gust lifted the right wing. The private pilot did not correct the situation and the aircraft owner could not overpower the other pilots control inputs in time to correct for the wind gust. The left wing tip drug the ground and the aircraft cartwheeled off the left side of the runway and into an airport fence.

A Beech 65 collided with trees in mountainous terrain after an inflight loss of control. A pilot observed the airplane start a turn to the right, roll right and continued until inverted and enter into a spin. The aircraft was in a steep nose down attitude when it began its pull out. The engines were heard by a ground witness who initially mistook them for an approach motorcycle. The pilot initially flew the aircraft 45 days before the accident and logged 3.5 dual instruction hours. There was no record in the pilot's logbook of any additional flight training since the initial flight. The pilot satisfactorily completed a before in a Cessna 150 four days before the accident. Examination of the wreckage disclosed the right engine had broken exhaust valve, but the left propeller was feathered. There were no preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures found with the left engine. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.

While on an instrument flight plan in IMC, the flight was cleared for an instrument approach to the South Lake Tahoe Airport, the intended destination. The aircraft departed the initial approach fix on the published transition to the final approach course. Radar contact was lost at 11,400 feet. Afterward, the aircraft was observed descending out of clouds and maneuvering erratically in VMC until it impacted terrain with no apparent attempt to recover. Medical records revealed pilot had a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and recent loss of 41 pounds on a rigid weight loss program. The autopsy revealed severe arteriosclerosis. Medical records indicated the pilot had been taking diazide intermittently for several years. Post-accident tox results were negative. The circumstances of the accident, in combination with the pilot's severe diet, medical history, and postmortem examination results support the conclusion that the pilot became incapacitated in flight. All four occupants were killed.

The pilot and his wife planned a 30 minutes pleasure flight to Lake Tahoe. Prior to departure the pilot failed to visually inspect the amount of fuel in the right wing tank. The tank was full. The tank's cap probably appeared to be secured when, in fact, because of a unique design characteristic, it was merely resting on top of the filler neck. Upon takeoff rotation the cap came off the filler neck and it was followed by a fuel spray. The pilot responded and stayed in a very low altitude and close-in traffic pattern. He attempted to land immediately. He lost control during the turn to final, stalled and collided with the pavement prior to reaching the threshold. Both occupants were killed.

Aircraft took off in clear weather but below-freezing temperatures with heavy frost on aircraft surfaces. No preflight, run-up or warm-up performed. On initial climb, left engine power loss occurred for undetermined reason, but probably associated with temp/cold engine operation. Pilot turned into dead engine in apparent course reversal, failed to feather propeller and lowered landing gear during turn. Aircraft stalled, rolled inverted and crashed into residential area. Engine teardown revealed no mechanical defects. Post-mortem and toxicological tests revealed no physiological impairment. All three occupants were killed.

The airplane was engaged in a charter flight from South Lake Tahoe to Denver, carrying customers of the Sahara Tahoe Hotel. The takeoff was initiated in bad weather conditions with low clouds, visibility limited to 200 meters, heavy snow falls and an obscured sky. During the takeoff roll, after a course of 1,610 meters, the left main gear struck a snow berm. Directional control was lost and the airplane veered off runway to the left. The nose gear collapsed and the right wing was partially torn off before the airplane came to rest 66 meters to the left of the runway. All 44 occupants were evacuated, two passengers were slightly injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

While descending to South Lake Tahoe Airport, the right engine failed. The pilot tried to maintain height and speed but the airplane eventually stalled and crashed in the Tahoe Valley. A passenger was seriously injured while all four other occupants were killed.

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.