Aero Commander 100 accident near Chico, California, December 25, 1993
On December 25, 1993 at about 2:06 am local time, a Aero Commander 100, registered N4042X, was destroyed in an accident near Chico, California (Chico Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
ISSUANCE OF AN IMPROPER (SPECIAL VFR) CLEARANCE BY THE TOWER CONTROLLER, WHILE THE VISIBILITY WAS LESS THAN ONE MILE, CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, FOG, FAILURE OF THE CONTROLLER TO ADVISE THE PILOT OF THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 25, 1993 · about 2:06 am local time
- Place
- Chico, California · Chico Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 100 · all 100s on the register
- Registration
- N4042X · no longer on the register · serial 5142
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT & 2 PASSENGERS WERE RETURNING TO CHICO AT NIGHT. WHILE EN ROUTE, THE DESTINATION WEATHER BEGAN TO DETERIORATE. THE PILOT REQUESTED & RECEIVED SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE INTO THE AIRPORT TRAFFIC AREA (ATA), & WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 13L. MINUTES LATER, HE TRANSMITTED HE WAS 'A LITTLE HIGH' & WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO GO AROUND. THE CONTROLLER THEN APPROVED THE FLIGHT FOR 'RIGHT TRAFFIC.' THE AIRPLANE CRASHED ON FLAT TERRAIN ABOUT 1 MILE WEST OF THE AIRPORT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED IT IMPACTED IN A LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE WHILE ON A NORTHERLY HEADING. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. ABOUT 1 MINUTE BEFORE THE CONTROLLER ISSUED THE SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE, HE SENT A SPECIAL WEATHER OBSERVATION TO REDBLUFF FSS THAT THE WEATHER WAS: INDEFINITE CEILING; SKY OBSCURED; VISIBILITY ZERO. HE DID NOT TRANSMIT THIS INFO TO THE PILOT. HE CONTINUED TO APPROVE SPECIAL VFR OPERATIONS, ALTHOUGH HE COULD NOT SEE AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY. TOWER WAS ABOUT 1/4 MILE FROM THE RUNWAY & ABOUT 5/8 MILE FROM THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY.
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
- Flight time: 1,559 hours in all; 1,309 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 1,462 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,529 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 25, 1993; 124 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,475 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAO Palo Alto CA
- Destination: CIC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13L, 6,724 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:05 am from CIC, 1 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.