Hawker Siddeley DH.125-1A/522 N831LC

Summary

On 16 March 1991 at about 09:43 local time, a Hawker Siddeley DH.125-1A/522 registered N831LC, operated by Prestige Tours, Inc., was involved in an accident near San Diego, California, United States. 10 people were on board and 10 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 March 1991 at 09:43

Classification

Accident

Location

San Diego, California, United States

Nearest airport

Brown Field Muni (SDM)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Hawker Siddeley DH.125-1A/522

Registration

N831LC

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Prestige Tours, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Amarillo

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX91FA132

10 people died.

IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE AND CLEARANCE OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, AND THE COPILOT'S FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THE FLIGHT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: INSUFFICIENT TERRAIN INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE FLIGHT SERVICE SPECIALIST DURING THE PREFLIGHT BRIEFING AFTER THE PILOT INQUIRED ABOUT A LOW ALTITUDE DEPARTURE, DARKNESS, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, BOTH PILOT'S LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA, AND THE COPILOT'S LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE AIRCRAFT.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

AFTER FLYING PSNL OF ENTERTAINMENT GROUP TO LINDBERGH FLD, ACFT WAS PSND TO NRBY BROWN FLD, SINCE LATE DEP WAS PLANNED AFTER NOISE CURFEW WAS IN EFFECT AT LINDBERGH. PLT TALKED WITH FSS SPECIALIST (SPLST) 3 TIMES BFR TKOF. HE RPRTD HE DID NOT HAVE INST DEP PROC FM ARPT. SPLST READ DEP PROC ON PHONE. ON LAST CALL TO FSS, PLT SAID HE PLANNED TO DEP VFR TWD NE & OBTAIN IFR CLNC AFTER AIRBORNE. (THIS RTE WAS TWD MTS.) DRG CALL, PLT EXPRESSED CONCERN ABT REMAINING CLR OF TCA & INQUIRED ABT STAYING BLO 3000'. SPLST AGREED WITH PLTS CONCERNS, BUT AFTER ACDNT, SPLST SAID HE THOUGHT PLT WAS REFERRING TO 3000' AGL, RATHER THAN 3000' MSL. PLT HAD FILED TO TKOF AT MIDNIGHT, BUT DIDN'T GET AIRBORNE UNTIL 0141 PST. SINCE FLT WAS OVR 1.5 HRS LATE, IFR FLT PLAN HAD 'CLOCKED OUT.' AS CTLR WAS REENTERING FLT PLAN IN COMPUTER, ACFT HIT RISING TRRN NR TOP OF MTN, ABT 8 MI NE OF ARPT AT ELEV OF ABT 3300'. NO DEFICIENCIES WERE FND WITH ACFT OR ITS ENGS. COPLT HAD NO TYPE RATING FOR THIS ACFT, THO HE RPRTDLY HAD MADE 3 TKOFS & LNDGS IN HAWKER-SIDDELEY DH.125.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.