Cessna 421C accident near Shaver Lake, CA

On November 11, 2012, a Cessna 421C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Shaver Lake, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

November 11, 2012

Place

Shaver Lake, CA

Aircraft

Cessna 421C · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

37.096°N, 119.299°W

NTSB ID

20121111X04124

Official records · WPR13FA037

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• FAA (SNS-Salinas) Clearance Delivery Audio (DVD): Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• FAA Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center Audio (DVD): Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• FAA Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Control Audio (DVD): Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 10, 2012, about 1920 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 421C, N700EM, impacted terrain following an in-flight breakup near Shaver Lake, California. The private pilot/registered owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence, and was partially consumed by postimpact fire. The cross-country flight departed Salinas Municipal Airport, Salinas, California, at 1837, with a planned destination of Eppley Airfield, Omaha, Nebraska. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The pilot was the son of the passenger. Both had spent the weekend attending a driving academy at the Laguna Seca Raceway, having arrived in the accident airplane earlier in the week. According to the pilot's wife, they had encountered strong headwinds during the outbound flight from Omaha, and had decided to take advantage of tailwinds for the return flight that night, rather than stay in a hotel. The pilot planned to return his father to Omaha, and then fly to his residence in Missouri the following day. Radar and voice communication data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that prior to departure, the pilot was given an IFR clearance to Omaha, and that during his interaction with clearance delivery personnel he read back the clearance correctly. A few minutes after departing Salinas the airplane was cleared to fly direct to t

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to regain airplane control following a sudden rapid descent during cruise, which resulted in an in-flight breakup. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to make the flight with a failed vacuum pump, particularly at high altitude in night conditions.

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Browse: California · Cessna aircraft

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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.