Groom Lake - Tonopah

On March 16, 2004 at 04:01 AM, Groom Lake - Tonopah experienced a crash involving Beechcraft 1900C, operated by United States Air Force - USAF, with the event recorded near Tonopah Nevada.

The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a plain, valley crash site.

5 people were known to be on board, 5 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 4, passenger fatalities: 4, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The Air Force Materiel Command Beech 1900 crashed while on a routine support mission from a remote classified airstrip on the Nellis range to the Tonopah Test Range. It departed at 03:43 for Tonopah. After reporting the runway lights in sight, the pilot configured the airplane for the approach and initiated a circling maneuver to the right for a visual straight-in approach to runway 32. During the turn the pilot suffered a sudden cardiac death. Half way through the turn the airplane began a gradual descent until it impacted the ground. The airplane broke up and burst into flames. Investigation revealed that the pilot had violated federal policy and directives, wilfully deceived flight medical examiners, suppressed significant medical information and ingested inappropriate medications for a deteriorating and dangerous health condition. The pilot had high blood pressure and failed to report it, and denied taking medications to his Federal Aviation Administration flight physical examiners.

Aircraft reference details include registration N27RA, MSN UB-37, year of manufacture 1985.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 38.1001°, -117.2251°.