Cessna 414 Chancellor crash, Jul 19, 1994 (1 killed), Taft
Cessna 414 Chancellor accident on July 19, 1994 near Taft, California, United States with 1 fatality. Cause: Pilot's inadequate preflight planning and...
- Date: July 19, 1994
- Aircraft: Cessna 414 Chancellor
- Location: Taft, California, United States
- Fatalities: 1
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: Pilot's inadequate preflight planning and selection of the wrong runway for takeoff, with uphill slope, tailwind, high density altitude and flaps not set for takeoff as contributing factors.
An air ambulance Cessna 414 took off uphill from a runway at Taft that was restricted to landings, carrying a patient, with a tailwind and high density altitude. It turned left to avoid rising terrain and the left tip tank struck the ground, and the aircraft cartwheeled. The NTSB cited the pilot's preflight planning and failure to set the flaps for takeoff.