Navion G N2429T

Summary

On 23 July 1997 at about 15:25 local time, a Navion G registered N2429T was involved in an accident near Gabbs, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 July 1997 at 15:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Gabbs, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

38.7997, -118.1106

Aircraft

Navion G

Registration

N2429T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Jose → Wendover

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX97FA334

2 people died.

The pilot's attempted visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions which resulted in his spatial disorientation and a loss of airplane control. A contributing factor was his overconfidence in his personal ability.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument rated pilot departed California on a business flight to a South Dakota destination. No flight plan was filed. Radar flight following service was terminated as the pilot approached the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and there were no further radar contacts or voice communications with the pilot. The pilot did not request any en route weather briefings from FAA flight service stations, and his route of flight over the mountains to the accident site was not determined. Instrument meteorological conditions including multiple cloud layers and rain showers existed in the vicinity of the accident site. Additionally, between 0830 and 0900, National Climatic Data Center visible and infrared spectrum satellite imagery revealed an area of rapidly developing cumulonimbus clouds at the site. On May 18, 1998, the wreckage was located scattered over a distance of 0.64 miles, about 26 miles south of the pilot's intended direct route of flight. The engine, wings, flaps, ailerons, elevators and empennage were found separated from the fuselage, along with a handheld GPS receiver. Acquaintances of the pilot reported he kept accurate flight records. The pilot's logbook contained several 'pilot-in-command' entries indicating that cross-country business flights had been performed in actual instrument weather conditions while navigating using a GPS receiver. No safety pilot or CFI was listed as accompanying the pilot during these flights. About 1.5 days prior to the accident the pilot was treated for a periodontal infection. An antibiotic and narcotic pain reliever was prescribed, and partially empty containers of these drugs were found in the wreckage. Insufficient specimens remained to perform an autopsy or toxicological tests.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.