Socata TB-20 accident near Happy Camp, CA
On May 22, 2010, a Socata TB-20 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Happy Camp, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 22, 2010
- Place
- Happy Camp, CA
- Aircraft
- Socata TB-20 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 41.738°N, 123.391°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100524X74604
Official records · WPR10LA259
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 22, 2010, about 1330 Pacific daylight time, a Socata TB-20 Trinidad, N3041Y, impacted terrain while in cruise flight over Happy Camp, California. The owner operated the airplane as a personal cross-country flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), Palm Springs, California, at an undetermined time. The flight was destined for the Rogue Valley International - Medford Airport (MFR), Medford, Oregon. No flight plan had been filed. Information received from Seattle Air Traffic Control Center, who was in radio contact with the pilot at the time, indicated that the pilot advised them that he was having trouble descending through clouds. At that point, the controller lost radar and radio contact with the airplane and pilot. According to the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department, they began to receive 911 calls about 1341 regarding a possible airplane crash. The Watch Commander requested helicopter support from the California Highway Patrol, but they could not respond due to the foggy and rainy weather conditions. They located the wreckage about 1720. The pilot’s spouse reported to the sheriff’s department that her husband flew this trip regularly, once a month, and flew by himself. A friend, who had dropped off the pilot at PSP the day of the accident, reported to the sheriff’s department that the pilot was flying by himself on th
Probable cause
The pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and decision to continue to operate under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an encounter with an embedded thunderstorm and rain showers and moderate to severe turbulence, which ultimately resulted in the loss of airplane control.
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Browse: California · Socata 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.
