Rockwell 114 accident near Bishop, California, May 26, 2003
On May 26, 2003 at about 10:35 pm local time, a Rockwell 114, registered N4730W, was destroyed in an accident near Bishop, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering close to the ground over mountainous terrain in a high density altitude environment near the upper performance capability of the airplane, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/mush into the terrain. Contributing factors were the pilot's improper in-flight decision to fly low over high elevation, upsloping mountainous terrain, and the high density altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 2003 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- Bishop, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell 114
- Registration
- N4730W · no longer on the register · serial 14060
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with upsloping, high mountainous terrain at an elevation of 12,660 feet mean sea level while maneuvering low to the terrain and below the tops of the peaks and ridge lines west of the accident site. Ground scars and crush deformation to the airplane is consistent with the airplane colliding with the ground in a stall/mush descent. The pilot had departed South Lake Tahoe for an intended nonstop flight to a Southern California airport. As documented by 81digital photographs taken by a passenger, the route of flight included flying over the Yosemite National Park and other scenic areas the Sierra Nevada mountains. En route scattered high clouds were predominant and the weather reports showed benign conditions over the area of the accident. The last few pictures taken by the passenger near the accident site showed the airplane generally flying in a southeasterly direction and at elevations below that of the surrounding mountains. Following the airplane's departure, there were no communications or services provided by any FAA facility. The accident occurred after the airplane had been flying for 1.9 hours. No evidence of any radar track consistent with the airplane's course was found in the vicinity of the accident site. The lowest altitude at which a target is visible on radar in the vicinity of the accident site is 13,300 feet. The wreckage was found on a Sierra Nevada mountain plateau, oriented in an easterly direction facing lower elevation terrain. One mile east of the accident site, over the edge of the plateau, the elevation decreased to about 11,300 feet msl. About 10 miles farther east, the elevation decreased to about 4,900 feet msl. The airplane was equipped with a normally aspirated, 260-horsepower engine, and with reduced gross weight the airplane could climb to a service ceiling of 15,000 feet. The density altitude at the accident site was also about 15,000 feet. No evidence of any mechanical malfunction was found during the wreckage examination.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,557 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,368 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,056 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2002; 180 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,140 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-T4A5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVL South Laketahoe CA at 8:41 pm
- Destination: SNA Santa Ana CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from BIH, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.