Beech 58 accident near Grants, NM
On March 15, 1993, a Beech 58 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Grants, NM. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 15, 1993
- Place
- Grants, NM
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.149°N, 107.830°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X11973
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 14, 1993, at approximately 2234 mountain standard time, a Beech 58, N4320W, was destroyed upon impact with terrain while in cruise flight near Grants, New Mexico. The airline transport pilot and his three passengers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 CFR Part 135 on demand air taxi flight from Houston, Texas, to Oakland, California. The airplane was owned and operated by Guinn Flying Service of Houston, Texas. According to the Albuquerque Flight Service Station, the airplane landed at Albuquerque to refuel. The pilot filed a VFR flight plan at 2150 MST, with a planned altitude of 8,500 feet. At 2215 MST, the airplane made a VFR departure from Albuquerque. The pilot requested VFR flight following, was assigned a transponder code and identified as the airplane proceeded westbound along V291 at 10,500 feet (minimum en route altitude for the route is 13,300 feet). The pilot left the assigned frequency to open the VFR flight plan at 2231, and never returned to the assigned center frequency. Radar contact was lost approximately 60 miles west of Albuquerque. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot in command was the owner of the Part 135 air taxi service. The flight was chartered by ICI Tracerco of Houston, Texas, to transport two of their technologists along with a cargo of radioactive material and related equipment to Oakland, California, for a working assignment in nearby Benicia. According to the operator, their plan was to return to Houston as soon as the two passengers and their cargo were unloaded at Oakland. The t
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/PREPARATION AND THE SELECTION OF AN ALTITUDE THAT WOULD NOT PROVIDE TERRAIN CLEARANCE ALONG HIS PLANNED ROUTE. FACTORS WERE THE DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS AND THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
More accidents in NM
- Gates Learjet 25D, Sep 5, 1993
- Piper PA-32-300, Dec 26, 1982
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-30, Jun 25, 1992
- Cessna 421C, Feb 11, 1985
- Beech 58, Mar 26, 1982
Browse: New Mexico · Beech aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
