Ameriflight aircraft accident in February 1999
| Ameriflight aircraft accident in February 1999 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) An Ameriflight Beechcraft Model 99 |
|
| Accident summary | |
| Accident type | Controlled flight into terrain |
| place | 18 miles northeast of Eastern Sierra Regional Airport , Bishop , Inyo County , California , United States
|
| date | February 12, 1999 |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type |
Beechcraft C99
|
| operator |
Ameriflight
|
| Mark |
N205RA
|
| Departure airport |
Tonopah Airport , Nye County , Nevada , United States
|
| Destination airport |
Eastern Sierra Regional Airport , Bishop , Inyo County , California , United States
|
| Passengers | 0 |
| crew | 1 |
| Lists of aviation accidents | |
An Ameriflight aircraft accident in February 1999 occurred on February 12, 1999. A Beechcraft C99 cargo plane of the Ameriflight cargo airline crashed during a flight from Tonopah Airport in Nevada to Eastern Sierra Regional Airport in California , with the only pilot present on board dying . The investigation attributed the accident to the pilot's gross negligence and lack of discipline.
plane
The affected machine was a Beechcraft C99. The machine was finally assembled in 1983 and had the factory number U-205. The American airline Ameriflight last operated it with the aircraft registration number N205RA . The twin-engine regional airliner, which was designed for flights at comparatively low altitudes due to the lack of a pressurized cabin , was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-36 turboprop engines . The cumulative operating performance of the machine up to the accident was 20,522 operating hours.
Purpose of flight and occupant
A cargo flight was carried out with the machine that day. There was only one pilot on board.
the accident
The machine took off from Tonopah at 9:30 a.m., and the 73-mile flight to Bishop was to be carried out according to visual flight rules . The aircraft was not carrying cargo at the time of the accident. The machine did not arrive at its destination.
Accident investigation
A search operation was initiated following the accident and the wreck was finally found on February 14 on the eastern slopes of White Mountain in the Inyo National Forest at 9,500 feet.
A witness said he saw the aircraft fly at an altitude of 7,000 to 8,000 feet as it entered Trace Plumas Canyon on White Mountain and gradually made a left turn. The plane then disappeared from view of the witness. The canyon leads to the accident site. According to Ameriflight, the pilot was about to leave the company after successfully applying for a position as captain of larger machines. The flight that day should be his last along this route. Several acquaintances of the Tonopah-based pilot reported that he intended to take a camera with him and photograph some scenic locations along this route during the flight.