Cessna 414 N111AH

Summary

On 19 May 1996 at about 17:18 local time, a Cessna 414 registered N111AH was involved in an accident near Kernville, 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

19 May 1996 at 17:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Kernville, California, United States

Coordinates

35.7291, -118.3895

Aircraft

Cessna 414

Registration

N111AH

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bakersfield → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX96FA200

1 person died.

VFR flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from rising/mountainous terrain. Factors relating 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

Recorded radar data showed the aircraft was flying in an area of mountainous terrain. Mountain tops in the area were reported to be obscured. Radar data showed that the aircraft first descended to a low altitude as it flew up a valley, then it climbed until impacting rising terrain about 7,200 feet msl. Wreckage was scattered over 300 feet up the mountain slope. About 32 miles southwest at Bakersfield (elevation 507 feet), the 1000 pdt weather was in part: 4500 feet scattered, 6000 feet overcase, visibility 20 miles, wind from 260 degrees at 10 knots. Nearby residents reported that the mountain was obscured in clouds at the time of the accident. During postmortem toxicology tests, a low level of ethanol (23 mg/dl) was detected in muscle fluid specimen, probably from post-mortem production. No ethanol was detected in brain fluid.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.