Beechcraft 65-A90 N616F

Summary

On 15 January 2001 at about 00:29 local time, a Beechcraft 65-A90 registered N616F, operated by William C. Dause, was involved in an accident near Lake Point, Utah, United States. 9 people were on board and 9 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 January 2001 at 00:29

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Point, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Bolinder Field-Tooele Valley (TVY)

Coordinates

40.6833, -112.3500

Aircraft

Beechcraft 65-A90

Registration

N616F

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

William C. Dause

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesquite → Tooele

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

DEN01FA041

9 people died.

the pilot's exercise of poor judgment and his failure to maintain a safe altitude/clearance above the water. Contributing factors were the weather conditions that included low ceiling and visibility obscured by snow and mist, an inadequately equipped airplane for flying in instrument meteorological conditions, and the pilot's overconfidence in his personal ability in that he had reportedly done this on two previous occasions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and eight parachutists were returning from a skydive meet. The pilot had obtained a weather briefing, which advised of instrument meteorological conditions at the destination, and filed a VFR flight plan, but it was never activated. Witnesses heard, but could not see, a twin engine turboprop pass over the airport, heading north out over the Great Salt Lake. They described the weather conditions as being a low ceiling with 1/4-mile visibility, light snow, haze, and fog. They said it was almost dark. The airplane impacted the water approximately 1/2-mile off shore. It had been stripped of all avionics except for one transceiver and a hand-held GPS receiver. One member of the skydive club, who had flown with the pilot, said he had previously encountered poor weather conditions and descended over the Great Salt Lake until he could see the ground, then proceeded to the airport. Another member related a similar experience, but said they descended over the Great Salt Lake in the vicinity of the accident site. The pilot was able to navigate in deteriorating weather conditions to Tooele Airport, using various landmarks. Examination of the airframe, engines, and propellers did not reveal evidence of any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.