Beechcraft 200 N39YV

Summary

On 10 May 1989 at about 21:30 local time, a Beechcraft 200 registered N39YV, operated by Mesa Airlines, Inc., was involved in an accident near Azusa, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 May 1989 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Azusa, California, United States

Coordinates

34.2809, -117.8701

Aircraft

Beechcraft 200

Registration

N39YV

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Mesa Airlines, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Monica → Farmington

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX89FA192

1 person died.

IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN HAS INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE WEATHER AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS WERE CONSIDERED TO BE RELATED FACTORS.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

BEFORE THE FLT, THE PLTS OF 2 BEECH 200 ACFT EVALUATED WX RPRTS AT A FIXED BASE OPERATION & MADE A COMPUTER WX INQUIRY. THEY DEPARTED SANTA MONICA, CA, ON A POSITIONING FLT TO FARMINGTON, NM, WITHOUT FILING A FLT PLAN. WHILE EN ROUTE, THE LEAD ACFT WAS ABOUT 1 TO 3 MIN AHEAD OF THE 2ND ACFT. THE 2ND PLT RPRTD THEY WERE AT ABOUT 4500 FT MSL AS THEY NEARED MTNS & THE CLOUDS WERE ABOUT 1000 FT ABOVE. AS THEY CONTD EASTWARD IN A VALLEY, THE 2ND PLT HEARD THE LEAD PLT RPRT HE WAS 'GOING UP.' THIS WAS THE LAST KNOWN TRANSMISSION FROM THE LEAD ACFT. THE 2ND PLT CONTINUED HIS FLT IN VMC. TWO DAYS LATER, THE LEAD ACFT WAS FOUND, WHERE IT HAD CRASHED ABOUT 100 FT BELOW THE TOP OF A 7400 FT MTN RIDGE. IMPACT OCCURRED ON A HDG OF ABOUT 030 DEG. THE MTN RIDGE WAS ORIENTED ON HDGS OF 060 & 240 DEG.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.