AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT - JET AVIA, LTD. LEARJET, LR24B, N12MK, PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, JANUARY 6, 1977

At 1700 P.S.T., on January 6, 1977, a Gates Lear jet LR24B, N12MK, crashed in the mountains about 22 miles northwest of Palm Springs, California, at an elevation of about 9,700 feet m.s.l. The aircraft had departed Palm Springs Municipal Airport about 5 minutes earlier and was en route to Las Vegas, Nevada. The flight was operating in instrument meteorological conditions when the accident occurred. The aircraft was on an IFR clearance from Palm Springs, direct to Twenty-nine Palms, and thence via the flight plan route. After takeoff from runway 30 the pilot did not turn toward Twenty-nine Palms as cleared, but maintained runway heading until crashing into the mountainside. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the flightcrew's misinterpretation of the instrument flight rules clearance, and subsequent ATC instructions issued by the Palm Springs Departure Control. Contributing to the accident was the controller's failure to detect the aircraft's deviation from the route of flight contained in the ATC clearance and the flightcrew's failure to recognize their proximity to the high terrain.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • See also report dated 26 Sep 77, NTISUB/C/104-006. Paper copy also available on subscription, North American Continent price $35.00/year; all others write for quote.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  Bureau of Accident Investigation, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 1977-10-6

Media Info

• Pagination: 35 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pilots; Air traffic control; Air traffic controllers; Air transportation crashes; Airborne navigational aids; Car clearances (Railroads); Casualties; Crash investigation; Failure; Flight crews; Flight paths; Instrument flying; Mountains; Passenger aircraft; Takeoff
• Identifier Terms: Learjet aircraft
• Geographic Terms: California
• Old TRIS Terms: Clearance
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00174566
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: NTSB-AAR-77-8
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 14 1978 12:00AM