Bishop RV6A N426BB

Summary

On 22 April 2005 at about 22:00 local time, a Bishop RV6A registered N426BB was involved in an accident near Dulzura, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 April 2005 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Dulzura, California, United States

Coordinates

32.5881, -116.8500

Aircraft

Bishop RV6A

Registration

N426BB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Diego → Benson

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05LA144

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an in-flight collision with rising mountainous terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a daytime cross-country flight, the airplane collided with upsloping mountainous terrain while in controlled flight and in instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot had departed San Diego, California, in trail behind an acquaintance who was also flying an RV6 airplane. They intended to fly in a loose formation to Arizona, and were communicating with each other via the common air-to-air radio frequency. The lead airplane pilot, who was instrument rated, reported that during his climb scattered and broken clouds were observed, but he eventually climbed on top and had over 3 miles forward visibility. After not hearing from the accident pilot for several minutes, the lead pilot returned to the departure airport, and a search was initiated. The accident pilot was not instrument rated. The accident airplane was found to have crashed about 0.5 miles north of the peak of the Otay Mountain, about 6.7 miles east of the departure airport. The initial point of impact elevation was 2,770 feet mean sea level (msl), and the peak elevation of the mountain was 3,566 feet msl. The departure airport, elevation 526 feet msl, reported its weather, in part, as 10 miles visibility, broken ceiling at 1,600 feet above ground level (agl), and overcast at 2,300 feet agl. An examination of the accident site revealed an estimated 150-foot-long ground swath leading to the main wreckage, which was fragmented and upside down. No evidence of any preimpact malfunction was found. The ground scar was consistent with the airplane having impacted the estimated 15-degree upsloping terrain while in a near wings level flight attitude. A global positioning satellite receiver was found in the wreckage. The last recorded elevation data on the GPS was 2,393 feet msl. The airplane's last position recorded by FAA radar was 3.8 miles west of the crash site, and its last position recorded by GPS was 1.9 miles west of the crash site. The airplane's track, from takeoff to impact, was principally in an easterly direction toward the pilot's destination in Arizona.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.