Cessna 414 Safety Record

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane after an undetermined failure of the airplane's attitude indicator. A factor in this accident was fog.

Inadequate maintenance of the cabin pressurization system, which resulted in inadequate pressurization and incapacitation of the pilot due to the hypoxia. Also causal was the pilot's failure to adequately monitor the cabin pressurization system.

failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering, which resulted in an advertent stall and collision with trees, vehicles, and the terrain.

The pilot's inadequate inflight decision which resulted in VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance which resulted in an inflight collision with terrain. The low ceiling was a factor.

VFR flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude/clearance from rising/mountainous terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: the terrain and weather conditions.

The pilot's continued VFR flight into obscured, rising mountainous terrain, and his failure to climb the airplane as conditions worsened. Factors included the rising terrain and the weather obscuration.

THE LOSS OF POWER ON THE LEFT ENGINE FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. A FACTOR WAS THE FAILURE OF THE RIGHT ENGINE DUE TO MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY TORQUE THE CYLINDER THROUGH BOLTS.

THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/PREPARATION AND SELECTION OF THE WRONG RUNWAY FOR TAKEOFF. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE UPHILL SLOPE OF THE RUNWAY, TAILWIND, HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE, AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO CORRECTLY CONFIGURE THE FLAPS FOR TAKEOFF.

INADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT BY THE PILOTS OF BOTH AIRCRAFT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF THE PILOT OF N9317L TO ILLUMINATE HIS AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION LIGHTS, AND IMPROPER RADIO COMMUNICATIONS BY THE PILOT OF N47WD BY SELECTING THE WRONG UNICOM FREQUENCY TO MONITOR AND ANNOUNCE HIS LANDING INTENTIONS AND POSITION.

THE DECISION OF THE PILOT NOT TO FOLLOW INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULE PROCEDURES DURING INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND POOR PREFLIGHT PLANNING WHICH RESULTED IN OPERATION OF THE AIRPLANE OVER THE MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT AND REDUCED PERFORMANCE. FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT WERE THE FOGGY WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND HIGH TERRAIN.

THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO USE PITOT STATIC SYSTEM COVERS DURING ICING CONDITIONS WHICH RESULTED IN A BLOCKED PITOT TUBE AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF AIRSPEED INDICATIONS. THIS LED TO PILOT DISORIENTATION AND AN INVERTANT STALL. FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE IMPROPER SNOW REMOVAL AND ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.

THE PILOT'S POOR JUDGEMENT IN ATTEMPTING FLIGHT AFTER THE AIRPLANE'S FUSELAGE WAS DAMAGED DURING A LOADING OPERATION. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE OPERATOR'S FAILURE TO PROVIDE PROPER WEIGHT AND BALANCE DATA FOR THE AIRPLANE, THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO SUPERVISE THE LOADING OPERATION, AND HIS FAILURE TO ACCEPT THE SERVICES OF A MECHANIC TO INSPECT THE DAMAGE.

THE PILOT'S IMPROPER EMERGENCY PROCEDURES BY NOT RETRACTING THE LANDING GEAR WHEN HE SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRSPEED. THE SCAVENGE PUMP FAILURE, SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGINE AND THE INADVERTENT STALL WERE FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW THE PUBLISHED ILS PROCEDURE AND HIS CONTINUED DESCENT BELOW THE DECISION HEIGHT. DARKNESS AND THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE RELATED FACTORS.

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PROPERLY FOLLOW THE IFR (INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES) PROCEDURES BY NOT MAINTAINING THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE FOR THAT SEQMENT OF THE APPROACH. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WERE CONSIDERED TO BE RELATED FACTORS.

THE PILOT INTENTIONALLY FLEW OVER AN AREA OF HIGH TERRAIN IN WHICH HE FAILED TO MAINTAIN THE PROPER ALTITUDE AND HE DELAYED HIS DECISION TO REVERSE COURSE. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT DECISION.