Cessna 320D N3302Q
13 March 1991 · Gorman, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 13 March 1991 at about 18:12 local time, a Cessna 320D registered N3302Q, operated by John P. Culhane, was involved in an accident near Gorman, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 18:12
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Gorman, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.8599, -118.8705
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320D
- Registration
- N3302Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- John P. Culhane
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lake Havasu Cty → Seattle
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX91FA133
People
3 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) BY THE PILOT, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE FROM MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE TERRAIN AND WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE ACFT HAD BEEN IN THE PHOENIX AREA FOR REPAIRS & FOR INSTN OF AVIONICS, AND WAS ON A TRIP TO ANCHORAGE VIA SEATTLE. BFR DEPG LAKE HAVASU CITY, THE PLT RCVD A WX BRIEFING, BUT DID NOT FILE A FLT PLAN. THERE WERE FLT PRCTNS FOR MODERATE TURBC BELOW 16,000', MODERATE ICING IN CLDS & MTN OBSCN. THE PLT REQD & RCVD TFC ADZY FROM EDWARDS APCH CTL WHILE TRANSITING THE PALMDALE ATA. DURING THAT TIME, HE REQD & RCVD THE BAKERSFIELD WX. AT ABOUT 1007 PST, RADAR SERVICE WAS TERMINATED. ABOUT 1 MIN LATER, RADAR CTC WAS LOST AS THE ACFT WAS CRUISING AT 4500' MSL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED INTO RISING TRRN IN THE TEHACHAPI MTS, ABOUT 15 MI FROM WHERE RADAR CTC WAS LOST. IMPACT OCCURRED ABOUT 75' BELOW THE TOP OF A RIDGE AT AN ELEV OF ABOUT 6000'. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED EVIDENCE THE ACFT HAD CRASHED IN A WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FND.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 320 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jun 1991 | Cessna 320F | Washington, Indiana, United States | DR. John C. Roberts | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jan 1991 | Cessna 320E | Elkhart, Indiana, United States | Warner, Jack E. | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Jan 1991 | Cessna 320 | Middleton, Wisconsin, United States | Gregory D. Held | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 1991 | Cessna 320 | Reno, Nevada, United States | David E. Baskett | No injuries | - |
| 6 Oct 1991 | Cessna 320 | Gadsden, Alabama, United States | Barker, E. Gerry | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Jun 1992 | Cessna 320D | Aztec, New Mexico, United States | Dabbs, Thurman C. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |