Rockwell 114 accident near Bishop, CA
On May 26, 2003, a Rockwell 114 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bishop, CA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 26, 2003
- Place
- Bishop, CA
- Aircraft
- Rockwell 114 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.286°N, 118.680°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030603X00762
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 26, 2003, approximately 1535 Pacific daylight time, a Rockwell International 114, N4730W, impacted mountainous terrain while maneuvering over the Sierra Nevada Mountains about 16 nautical miles (nm) southwest of Bishop, California. The airplane was destroyed. The four fatally injured occupants in the airplane included a private pilot and three passengers, one of whom held a student pilot certificate and was in the front right seat. The pilot, student pilot, and the VYSYM Corporation were the registered owners of the airplane. A spokesperson for the occupants indicated that the pilot was primarily operating the airplane for personal reasons. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the accident site vicinity, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from South Lake Tahoe, California, about 1341, with an intended destination of Santa Ana, California. The Civil Air Patrol initiated a search for the airplane when it was reported overdue at its Santa Ana destination. The airplane was located the following day. No witnesses reported observing the accident. The specific route of flight between the South Lake Tahoe Airport and the accident site was not determined. Photographs recovered from a passenger's camera revealed that after taking off and climbing over Lake Tahoe, the airplane flew over the Half Dome area of the Yosemite Valley, California. Thereafter, the airplane proceeded in a southeasterly direction. PERSONNEL INFORMATION Pilot. The pilot held a Private Pilot certifi
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering close to the ground over mountainous terrain in a high density altitude environment near the upper performance capability of the airplane, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush into the terrain. Contributing factors were the pilot's improper in-flight decision to fly low over high elevation, upsloping mountainous terrain,
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Browse: California · Rockwell 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.
