Beech 58 accident near Bishop, California, July 17, 2004
On July 17, 2004 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Beech 58, registered N807Q, was destroyed in an accident near Bishop, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's continued VFR flight into marginal weather conditions with lowering ceilings in a box canyon in mountainous terrain, and his subsequent inability to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering to reverse direction, which led to an accelerated stall and spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2004 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bishop, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N807Q · no longer on the register · serial TH-823
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted a glacier at 12,270 feet mean sea level (msl) after the pilot attempted to reverse course out of a bowl-shaped valley in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Ground scar analysis and crush angle measurements on the airplane disclosed that it descended in a near vertical nose down attitude to impact on the glacier. The valley was surrounded by higher peaks and ridges, and the accident site was about 1.3 nautical miles southeast of the direct point-to-point course between the departure and destination airports. At the northeast end of the valley, an opening led down slope through lower mountains and valleys to the airplane's departure point. Satellite imagery indicated that a low layer of stratiform clouds was present over the mountains during the time period following the airplane's departure. The accident site was under the northern edge of these low clouds. Based on the cloud radiative temperatures observed on the satellite imagery, the cloud tops were 16,000 feet mean sea level and the cloud bases were between 10,000 and 14,000 feet msl. The bowl-shaped valley was about 2,450 feet in diameter near the tops of the higher peaks and about 1,200 feet at the elevation of the wreckage. The bank angle required for a turn radius of 1,225 feet at an airspeed of 104 knots (best rate of climb) is 40 degrees. At 156 knots (maneuvering airspeed), the airplane's bank angle would have been 65 degrees. Using a radius of 637.5 feet (the accident site elevation diameter) and 104 knots, the bank angle would have had to have been at least 60 degrees to complete the turn. At 156 knots, the required bank angle would have been about 75 degrees. According to stall speed versus angle of bank data for the airplane, the stall speed would be 85 knots at 40 degrees of bank varying to 105 knots indicated air speed at 60 degrees of bank. No evidence of mechanical malfunction or failure was found during a post accident examination of the airplane and engines. Internal signatures in the propeller hubs disclosed that both engines were producing power symmetrically at the time of impact.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 27, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,174.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 12, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-CB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIH Bishop CA at 3:15 pm
- Destination: PRB Paso Robles CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from BIH, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.