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WPR15CA110

2015-02-09 · Mammoth Lakes, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MMH

Current FAA registration · N49WC

Make / Model
BEECH B300
Year of manufacture
1996 · 19 years old at event
Engine
P&W PT6A SER (750 hp)
Seats / Engines
19 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19960904
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A60FB6

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The airplane encountered extreme turbulence during descent.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while in a descent from 16,000 feet, at 1,500 feet per minute, slowing from 190 knots indicated airspeed to 160 knots, the airplane encountered extreme turbulence. The pilot reported one hard jolt up/down followed by about 15 seconds of light turbulence then one final hard jolt similar to the first. The weather was visual conditions and no turbulence was encountered prior to or after the event. A postflight examination of the airplane revealed that the extreme turbulence encountered resulted in substantial structural damage to both wings spars. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that while in a descent from 16,000 feet, at 1,500 feet per minute, slowing from 190 knots indicated airspeed to 160 knots, the airplane encountered extreme turbulence. The pilot reported one hard jolt up/down followed by about 15 seconds of light turbulence then one final hard jolt similar to the first. The weather was visual conditions and no turbulence was encountered prior to or after the event. A postflight examination of the airplane revealed that the extreme turbulence encountered resulted in substantial structural damage to both wings spars. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.   Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Turbulence-(general)-Effect on equipment - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_WPR15CA110.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (turbulence). All research papers