Beechcraft A36 N6111C

Summary

On 14 November 2004 at about 02:32 local time, a Beechcraft A36 registered N6111C was involved in an accident near Lake Havasu, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 November 2004 at 02:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Havasu, California, United States

Coordinates

34.5231, -114.5144

Aircraft

Beechcraft A36

Registration

N6111C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

El Monte → Lake Havasu

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX05FA034

2 people died.

the pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions leading to spatial disorientation and an in-flight loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The aircraft collided with hilly desert terrain 8 miles west of the destination airport after encountering instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot did not hold an instrument rating. Radar information was obtained, tracking the departing airplane's target at a takeoff time of 1703:34 from El Monte, California. The recorded route of flight of the eastbound target continued up to the last radar return at 1832:31, at a Mode C altitude of 8,300 feet mean sea level (msl) (7,000 feet above ground level (agl)). The highly fragmented and burned wreckage was found about 1/2-mile west of the last recorded radar position spread out over a 130-foot-long debris field on a magnetic heading of 160 degrees. According to the Unicom operator, about 1815, a light rain storm with some lightning passed through the airport traffic area, moving approximately southeast to northwest (toward the accident site), and clearing about 1825. About 1821, an unidentified aircraft called the Unicom operator and the pilot asked about the weather. The operator provided the weather from the Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) monitor screen, and asked the pilot where the aircraft was coming from. The pilot responded "L.A. area, 35 out at 8,500," and reported that he could see Bullhead City, Arizona, off his left wing. The pilot asked for the runway in use, and the operator gave "32 left traffic." About 1825 to 1827, a call came over the Unicom radio stating "Hey Unicom I'm in trouble." There were no responses to several calls from the Unicom operator. At 1815 , the AWOS was reporting 3,000 feet scattered, 4,000 broken, and 11,000 overcast. The wind was 330 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 23 knots. Using radar, satellite imagery, and upper air soundings, a meteorological analysis found that visual conditions generally existed along the airplane's route of flight until the immediate area of the accident site where merging cloud layers were present, with bases at 300 feet agl and tops to 22,000 feet. Light rain showers likely existed at the accident site.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.