Daughters T18C N647C

Summary

On 11 November 2003 at about 19:05 local time, a Daughters T18C registered N647C was involved in an accident near Needles, California, 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

11 November 2003 at 19:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Needles, California, United States

Coordinates

34.4039, -114.7531

Aircraft

Daughters T18C

Registration

N647C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Glendale → Santa Maria

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA041

2 people died.

the pilot's continuation of a visual flight rules (VFR) flight into an area of adverse weather, which resulted in an encounter with moderate to severe turbulence and in-flight breakup of the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane broke up in flight and impacted terrain. A search and rescue (SAR) crew located the airplane after the issuance of a family concerned alert notification (ALNOT). A review of the radar data showed a target consistent with the accident airplane at a mode C reported altitude of 12,300 feet mean sea level (msl) at 1103:45. The target continued in a westerly direction, and at 1104:56, the mode C altitude was 5,000 feet, which equates to a calculated 9,400 feet per minute (fpm) rate of descent. The last target was 12 seconds later at 1105:08, at a mode C altitude of 3,300 feet. The primary wreckage consisted of the fuselage, right wing, landing gear, and engine. The left wing was 1 mile west of the main wreckage on the eastern slope of a mountain peak. The left main wing spar separated from the inboard stub section, with compression wrinkles noted in the webbing of the outboard left main wing spar. The lower spar cap had a smooth fracture surface and the upper spar cap had an angular fracture surface, features consistent with the wing failing in negative aerodynamic loading. The right wing main spar remained attached to the stub carry through spar and the webbing was also wrinkled. Analysis of the meteorological conditions disclosed that a strong west-southwesterly jet stream was advecting mid- and high-level moisture from off Baja, California, into the southwestern United States. Light rain and rain showers were occurring over southern California and were associated with this moisture advection. The closest weather reporting facility was somewhat downstream of the accident location with respect to cloud movement. Observations made from the facility during the hour before the accident indicated that the cloud ceiling lowered during that period to around 11,000 feet. One Pilot Report (PIREPs) near Blythe, California, confirmed the presence of towering cumulus (TCU) in the area. Radar and satellite data indicated that convective clouds were in the accident area and rapidly increasing in altitude with very strong vertical motion around the accident time. In addition, deviations in the accident airplane's mode C altitude data just before the accident indicates that strong up- and downdrafts were present in the area. Strong jet stream winds near 100 knots were present in the area about the height of the convective clouds. Therefore, isolated strong convective downdrafts were possible in the area of the breakup. While proceeding westbound, the airplane was probably in the vicinity of the northern edge of a rapidly developing convective buildup. The pilot probably encountered moderate to severe turbulence due to strong updrafts and downdrafts just before the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.