Beech 76 accident near Julian, CA

On May 11, 2018, a Beech 76 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Julian, CA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

May 11, 2018

Place

Julian, CA

Aircraft

Beech 76 · Airplane

Injuries

3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

33.134°N, 116.578°W

NTSB ID

20180511X43419

Official records · WPR18FA139

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

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 10, 2018, about 2031 Pacific daylight time, a Beech BE76 airplane, N803FC, collided with mountainous terrain while maneuvering near Julian, California. The flight instructor, pilot receiving instruction, and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed by a postimpact fire. The airplane was registered to and operated by Scandinavian Aviation Academy of El Cajon, California, as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Apple Valley Airport (APV), Apple Valley, California, about 1932 and was destined for Gillespie Field Airport (SEE), El Cajon, California. The purpose of the flight was for the pilot receiving instruction to complete two back-to-back cross-country flights of at least 2 hours in duration, and a total straight line distance of more than 100 nautical miles (nm) each. The first 2-hour flight was to be accomplished under daytime conditions, and the second 2-hour flight was to be conducted under nighttime conditions. The flight to APV was conducted during the day, and the return flight to SEE was to be conducted at night. The course syllabus for the 2 flights identified several tasks that were to be accomplished during the flights. A representative of the operator reported that maneuvers are usually performed to facilitate a 2-hour flight. All flight is prohibited below 500 ft above ground level (agl) and minimum cruise altitude of 2,000 ft agl in mountainous ter

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain sufficient altitude above mountainous terrain while maneuvering during night conditions in an area prone to turbulence, which resulted in a collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's decision to conduct maneuvers over mountainous terrain at night, and failure to ensure that the maneuver was conducted with sufficient separation f

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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.