Beech 95-A55 accident near Pine Mountain, California, September 20, 1993
On September 20, 1993 at about 3:15 am local time, a Beech 95-A55, registered N9778Y, was destroyed in an accident near Pine Mountain, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND DID NOT MAINTAIN ADEQUATE CLEARANCE WITH THE TERRAIN. FACTORS IN THIS ACCIDENT WERE: THE DARK NIGHT, AND THE POOR IN FLIGHT PLANNING AND DECISION MAKING BY THE PILOT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1993 · about 3:15 am local time
- Place
- Pine Mountain, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-A55 · all 95-A55s on the register
- Registration
- N9778Y · registry record · serial TC439
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, FOR A NIGHT VFR FLIGHT TO THE LOS ANGELES AREA. HE REQUESTED VFR FLIGHT FOLLOWING ALONG HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT. SHORTLY AFTER BEING HANDED OFF TO LOS ANGELES ATC, HE WAS ASKED HIS NEXT POINT OF NAVIGATION. THE PILOT SAID HE WAS GOING DIRECT GORMAN, DIRECT BRACKETT FIELD. THE PILOT WAS INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT LA ATC, SECTOR 13. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT THAT SECTOR, AND WAS TOLD BY THE PREVIOUS SECTOR TO REATTEMPT CONTACT IN 15 MILES. NO FURTHER RADIO COMMUNICATION WAS RECEIVED BY THE PILOT. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 16 MILES WEST OF THE GORMAN VOR; THE VOR TO WHICH THE PILOT INDICATED HE WAS GOING TO FLY 'DIRECT'. ACCORDING TO WEATHER INFORMATION AND SUN/MOON TABLES, IT WAS AN EXTREMELY DARK NIGHT WITH VERY LITTLE MOON ILLUMINATION. THE MAXIMUM ELEVATION FIGURE FOR THIS PARTICULAR QUADRANGLE ON THE VFR SECTIONAL IS 9,200 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8,750 FEET MSL.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OAK Oakland CA at 1:43 am
- Destination: POC Bracket Field CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:46 am from VNY, 55 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX93FA360.