AZUSA, CA, USA
N39YV
BEECH 200
BEFORE THE FLT, THE PLTS OF 2 BEECH 200 ACFT EVALUATED WX RPRTS AT A FIXED BASE OPERATION & MADE A COMPUTER WX INQUIRY. THEY DEPARTED SANTA MONICA, CA, ON A POSITIONING FLT TO FARMINGTON, NM, WITHOUT FILING A FLT PLAN. WHILE EN ROUTE, THE LEAD ACFT WAS ABOUT 1 TO 3 MIN AHEAD OF THE 2ND ACFT. THE 2ND PLT RPRTD THEY WERE AT ABOUT 4500 FT MSL AS THEY NEARED MTNS & THE CLOUDS WERE ABOUT 1000 FT ABOVE. AS THEY CONTD EASTWARD IN A VALLEY, THE 2ND PLT HEARD THE LEAD PLT RPRT HE WAS 'GOING UP.' THIS WAS THE LAST KNOWN TRANSMISSION FROM THE LEAD ACFT. THE 2ND PLT CONTINUED HIS FLT IN VMC. TWO DAYS LATER, THE LEAD ACFT WAS FOUND, WHERE IT HAD CRASHED ABOUT 100 FT BELOW THE TOP OF A 7400 FT MTN RIDGE. IMPACT OCCURRED ON A HDG OF ABOUT 030 DEG. THE MTN RIDGE WAS ORIENTED ON HDGS OF 060 & 240 DEG.
IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN HAS INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE WEATHER AND TERRAIN CONDITIONS WERE CONSIDERED TO BE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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