Date & Time:
Jan 12, 1995 at 1747 LT
Type of aircraft:
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Operator:
Registration:
N754FE
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Visalia - Oakland
MSN:
208B-0249
YOM:
1991
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total hours on type:
516
Aircraft flight hours:
2073
Circumstances:
A Cessna 208B struck a ridge line about 14 miles from the destination airport. The pilot reported to atc he had the airport in sight from 7,000 feet msl more than 30 miles away. A weather reporting station located 5 miles east of the accident site was reporting two cloud layers; a scattered layer at 1,500 feet agl, and a broken layer at 5,000 feet agl. The airplane was descending after the pilot was cleared for a visual approach. The airplane collided with a tree and the ground in a wings level attitude at an elevation of 1,500 feet msl. There was no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction found with the airplane.
Probable cause:
Failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain visual contact with terrain and sufficient altitude for terrain clearance. Factors in the accident were the pilot's decision to initiate a descent 14 miles from the airport, and weather, specifically cloud conditions and darkness.
Final Report:
N754FE.pdf98.81 KB
