Partenavia AF68TP SPARTACUS N3116C

Summary

On 9 January 1996 at about 17:14 local time, a Partenavia AF68TP SPARTACUS registered N3116C, operated by Aspen Helicopter, Inc., was involved in an accident near El Segundo, 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

9 January 1996 at 17:14

Classification

Accident

Location

El Segundo, California, United States

Coordinates

33.9507, -118.4003

Aircraft

Partenavia AF68TP SPARTACUS

Registration

N3116C

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Aspen Helicopter, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oxnard → San Diego

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX96FA091

1 person died.

loss of control for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to radar data, the airplane was in level flight off the southern California coastline at 1,800 feet msl when it suddenly pitched up to 2,000 feet msl and then was lost from radar. The pilot was positioning the airplane for a contract flight. The airplane went down in waters 2,700 to 3,000 feet deep. The wreckage was not recovered; however, limited debris from the wreckage provided identification of the airplane. According to the operator, the autopilot would normally be used for cross-country flights.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.