Cessna TR182 accident near Eagleville, CA

On April 26, 2003, a Cessna TR182 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Eagleville, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

April 26, 2003

Place

Eagleville, CA

Aircraft

Cessna TR182 · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

41.271°N, 120.123°W

NTSB ID

20030507X00629

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 25, 2003, about 1712 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna TR182, N327PC, collided with mountainous terrain while cruising in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The airplane descended from 14,000 feet in mountain wave and icing conditions until it impacted upsloping 5,770-foot mean sea level (msl) terrain. The airplane was destroyed, and the instrument rated private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The pilot co-owned and operated the airplane. The accident occurred about 1.5 miles south of Eagleville, California. The business flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and it originated from Scottsdale, Arizona, about 1214 mountain standard time (mst). The pilot's flight planned destination was the Lake County Airport, Lakeview, Oregon. The accident occurred about 53 nautical miles (nm) south-southeast of Lakeview after the pilot had been flying almost 5 hours. While en route, the pilot had communicated with a series of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facilities. According to the FAA, at no time did he report experiencing any problems with his airplane. At 1241, the pilot received an IFR clearance to climb to 14,000 feet. The pilot acknowledged the clearance and climbed as directed, as evidenced by data transmitted from the airplane's Mode C (altitude reporting) transponder. At 1532, the pilot advised the controller that he was unable to hold altitude, and he had descended to 13,000 feet. The controller informed the pilot that the minimum vectoring altitude was 13,

Probable cause

the pilot's encounter with mountain wave activity with downdrafts and severe turbulence, which resulted in a loss of airplane control and impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper decision to continue flight into an area of adverse weather, and the failure of the National Weather Service to issue an adequate weather advisory of possible severe turbulence.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.