Rockwell International Aero-Commander 112TC accident near Santa Nella, California, June 9, 2003
On June 9, 2003 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Rockwell International Aero-Commander 112TC, registered N4696W, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Nella, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision by conducting VFR flight into IMC, and his failure to maintain terrain clearance. Contributing factors were low clouds, fog, and mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 9, 2003 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Nella, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell International Aero-Commander 112TC
- Registration
- N4696W · no longer on the register · serial 13272
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The single engine airplane collided with mountainous terrain while flying beneath a cloud overcast, in low visibility, through a mountain pass. The pilot, accompanied by his certified flight instructor (CFI), was flying to a location across a mountain range in another valley for the pilot's commercial check ride. The instrument rated pilots were visually trying to follow a highway through a mountain pass. Prevailing weather conditions in the mountain pass were overcast ceiling at the mountaintops and ridges, and less than a mile visibility in fog. A resident who lives 1 mile from the crash site said the visibility was less than 300 feet in fog at the time of the accident. Extensive examination of the wreckage disclosed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction, failure, or fire.
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: 430 hours in all; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 610 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 535 as pilot in command; 296 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 13, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TO-360-C1A6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA at 3:30 pm
- Destination: MER Merced CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KRHV, 33 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
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.