Cessna 340 N5049Q

Summary

On 6 November 2007 at about 16:55 local time, a Cessna 340 registered N5049Q was involved in an accident near Garberville, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 November 2007 at 16:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Garberville, California, United States

Nearest airport

Garberville Airport (O16)

Coordinates

40.0758, -123.8167

Aircraft

Cessna 340

Registration

N5049Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Redding → Garberville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA08LA021

3 people died.

The pilot's intentional visual flight rules (VFR) flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain clearance from the trees and terrain during climb. Contributing to the accident were the weather conditions of fog and a low ceiling, and the mountainous/hilly terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot arrived in the vicinity of his destination airport, which was located in a narrow river valley. The airport was located within a large area of Visual Flight Rules (VFR) conditions with clear skies and almost unlimited visibility, but the pilot discovered that the airport was covered by a localized dense layer of fog about 200 to 250 feet thick. There were no instrument approaches to the non-controlled airport. Witnesses reported that the pilot flew at low-level up the valley, and eventually entered the fog as the flight approached the airport. About one mile prior to reaching the airport, the pilot attempted to climb out of the valley, but the airplane began impacting trees on the rising terrain. The airplane eventually sustained sufficient damage from impacting the trees that it descended into the terrain. Post-accident inspection of the airframe and engines found no evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.