Amateur-built GLASSAIR III accident near Dunsmuir, California, November 14, 1996
On November 14, 1996 at about 1:05 pm local time, a amateur-built GLASSAIR III, registered N77DF, was destroyed in an accident near Dunsmuir, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
was the pilot's intentional flight into marginal meteorological conditions in mountainous terrain during dark nighttime conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 1996 · about 1:05 pm local time
- Place
- Dunsmuir, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GLASSAIR III GLASSAIR I
- Registration
- N77DF · no longer on the register · serial 3202
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrument-rated pilot departed before daylight in mountainous terrain under an overcast sky. The pilot did not file a flight plan nor obtain a formal weather briefing. When he failed to arrive at his destination a search was initiated. The aircraft was located 9 months later, about 4.5 miles south of the departure point in mountainous terrain. According to a sheriff's investigator, the engine was buried below the ground surface and the airplane was very fragmented.
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: 399 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 22, 1996
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 106 Dunsmuir-Mott CA at 1:00 pm
- Destination: PSP Palm Springs CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from KMH, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.