Bullhead City – Prescott

Witnesses located at a gun club reported observing the airplane make a high-speed, low pass from north to south over the club's buildings and then maneuver around for another low pass from east to west. During the second low pass, the airplane collided with a radio tower that was about 50 ft tall, and the right wing sheared off about 10 ft of the tower's top. The tower's base was triangular shaped, and each of its sides was about 2 ft long. One witness reported that the airplane remained in a straight-and-level attitude until impact with the tower. The airplane then rolled right to an almost inverted position and subsequently impacted trees and terrain about 700 ft southwest of the initial impact point. One witness reported that, about 3 to 4 years before the accident, the pilot, who was a client of the gun club, had "buzzed" over the club and had been told to never do so again. A postaccident examination of the engines and the airframe revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.

Flight / Schedule

Bullhead City – Prescott

Aircraft

Cessna 340

Registration

N312GC

MSN

340A-0023

Year of Manufacture

1975

Date

October 4, 2013 at 01:00 PM

Type

CRASH

Flight Type

Private

Flight Phase

Flight

Crash Site

Plain, Valley

Crash Location

Paulden Arizona

Region

North America • United States of America

Coordinates

34.8799°, -112.4771°

Crash Cause

Human factor

Narrative Report

On October 4, 2013 at 01:00 PM, Bullhead City – Prescott experienced a crash involving Cessna 340, operated by James M. Parrish, with the event recorded near Paulden Arizona.

The flight was categorized as private and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.

4 people were known to be on board, 4 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: 3, passenger fatalities: 3, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. Witnesses located at a gun club reported observing the airplane make a high-speed, low pass from north to south over the club's buildings and then maneuver around for another low pass from east to west. During the second low pass, the airplane collided with a radio tower that was about 50 ft tall, and the right wing sheared off about 10 ft of the tower's top. The tower's base was triangular shaped, and each of its sides was about 2 ft long. One witness reported that the airplane remained in a straight-and-level attitude until impact with the tower. The airplane then rolled right to an almost inverted position and subsequently impacted trees and terrain about 700 ft southwest of the initial impact point. One witness reported that, about 3 to 4 years before the accident, the pilot, who was a client of the gun club, had "buzzed" over the club and had been told to never do so again. A postaccident examination of the engines and the airframe revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.

Aircraft reference details include registration N312GC, MSN 340A-0023, year of manufacture 1975.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 34.8799°, -112.4771°.

Fatalities

Total

4

Crew

1

Passengers

3

Other

0

Crash Summary

Witnesses located at a gun club reported observing the airplane make a high-speed, low pass from north to south over the club's buildings and then maneuver around for another low pass from east to west. During the second low pass, the airplane collided with a radio tower that was about 50 ft tall, and the right wing sheared off about 10 ft of the tower's top. The tower's base was triangular shaped, and each of its sides was about 2 ft long. One witness reported that the airplane remained in a straight-and-level attitude until impact with the tower. The airplane then rolled right to an almost inverted position and subsequently impacted trees and terrain about 700 ft southwest of the initial impact point. One witness reported that, about 3 to 4 years before the accident, the pilot, who was a client of the gun club, had "buzzed" over the club and had been told to never do so again. A postaccident examination of the engines and the airframe revealed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.

Cause: Human factor

Occupants & Outcome

Crew On Board

1

Passengers On Board

3

Estimated Survivors

0

Fatality Rate

100.0%

Known people on board: 4

Operational Details

Schedule / Flight

Bullhead City – Prescott

Flight Type

Private

Flight Phase

Flight

Crash Site

Plain, Valley

Region / Country

North America • United States of America

Aircraft Details

Aircraft

Cessna 340

Registration

N312GC

MSN

340A-0023

Year of Manufacture

1975