Socata TBM 700 N345RD

Summary

On 14 March 1998 at about 03:00 local time, a Socata TBM 700 registered N345RD was involved in an accident near Truckee, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 March 1998 at 03:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Truckee, California, United States

Nearest airport

Truckee-Tahoe (TRK)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Socata TBM 700

Registration

N345RD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Novato → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX98LA114

4 people had minor injuries.

The failure of the pilot to maintain control of the aircraft due to spatial disorientation. A factor was the dark night.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was cleared for a GPS approach. He stated that he was too high to make a good landing, so he opted for a circling approach to another runway. As he turned for the base leg, he lost visual contact and became disoriented. It was a dark night with no moon. The pilot realized that he was in a 70- to 80-degree left bank and returned the airplane to a level attitude, then noticed the ground directly in front of him. The aircraft ran through a barbed wire fence, collided with trees, and slid rearward to a stop in a high altitude meadow east of the airport. The FAA completed an evaluation of the circling approach procedures and night operations for that airport and did not find any problems.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.