Flight Details
The flight was conducted at night to a private ranch landing strip. The strip featured an unlighted windsock at midfield and portable runway edge lights. The aircrew estimated visibility at 3 to 4 miles during the arrival and reported they would be able to land. Personnel at the ranch heard the aircraft fly overhead. One individual reported that wind had been blowing hard earlier, filling the air with dust, but the dust had settled by the time the aircraft arrived. A deputy sheriff observed that visibility was good at times but poor at others. The aircraft owner, present at the ranch, stated he could see the aircraft's lights intermittently while it was in the traffic pattern.
Accident Sequence
After making two passes, the aircraft crashed in an area where it should have been on a base leg. Examination of the wreckage indicated the aircraft was in a left turn at the moment of impact. Following initial impact, the aircraft bounced and slid for 663 feet before striking a tree-covered canal levee and catching fire. All four occupants were killed.
Investigation Findings
Post-accident examination found no evidence of pre-impact mechanical malfunction or failure. The official probable cause identified three occurrences:
- Occurrence #1: In-flight encounter with weather during approach, citing dark night, obscuration, and poor weather evaluation by the pilot-in-command.
- Occurrence #2: In-flight collision with terrain during approach (VFR pattern base turn), citing proper altitude not maintained by the pilot-in-command.
- Occurrence #3: On-ground encounter with terrain after initial impact, citing a dirt bank/rising embankment.