Aero Commander 690A accident near Bishop, CA
On August 11, 2002, an Aero Commander 690A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bishop, CA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 11, 2002
- Place
- Bishop, CA
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 690A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.359°N, 118.398°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020819X01425
Official records · LAX02FA251
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC 3 - Factual Report of Group Chairman: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC 3 - Attachment 1: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC 3 - Attachment 2: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC 3 - Attachment 3: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 11, 2002, about 0123 Pacific daylight time, an Aero Commander 690A, N690TB, descended into terrain near the Bishop Airport, Bishop, California. The accident occurred during a descending turn between the base and the final approach legs in the airport's traffic pattern. The airplane was destroyed. The commercial certificated pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was owned by the pilot who was operating it under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the dark, nighttime flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The accident flight departed from Oakland, California, on August 11, about 0031. About 4.5 hours earlier (a few minutes after 2007), the pilot had completed a flight from Bishop to the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport. Oakland. During this flight the pilot was accompanied by a friend. After arrival at Oakland, about 2025, the pilot purchased fuel for the return nighttime flight to Bishop. By prior arrangement, the pilot had agreed to transport two additional passengers from Oakland to Bishop. The passengers arrived in Oakland via a scheduled airline flight. The passengers, along with several hundred pounds of their luggage, boarded the pilot's airplane, and the accident flight commenced. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), at no time during the pilot's flight between Oakland and Bishop did he communicate that he was experiencing any difficulty with the airplane. By 0102:14, the pilot had climbed to 17,500 feet mean sea level (msl) and was over the Sierra Nevada
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain an appropriate terrain clearance altitude while maneuvering in the traffic pattern due to the sensory and visual illusions created by a lack of ground reference lights and/or terrain conspicuity, and the dark nighttime conditions.
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Browse: California · Aero Commander 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.
