Vickers MK XVI accident near Blue Canyon, California, June 3, 1998
On June 3, 1998 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Vickers MK XVI, registered N382RW, was destroyed in an accident near Blue Canyon, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance and his VFR flight into instrument meteorological condition. Mountainous terran and obscurations are contributing factos. inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions in mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 1998 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Blue Canyon, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Vickers MK XVI
- Registration
- N382RW · no longer on the register · serial CBAF 11581
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot obtained a preflight weather briefing for a VFR flight across the mountains and stated he would be 30 minutes en route at 1,500 feet agl. According to witnesses parts of the mountainous terrain were obscured in clouds and fog. The wreckage was located the next day about 5 miles north of Blue Canyon about 5,500 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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 11,290 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce MERLIN (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CIC Chico CA at 5:19 pm
- Destination: MEV Minden Tahoe NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:52 pm from BLU, 5 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.