ROCKWELL COMMANDER 690A, BISHOP, CALIF., AUG. 11, 2002–The pilot of Aero Commander N690TB, which crashed near Bishop Airport (BIH), “failed to maintain an appropriate terrain clearance altitude while maneuvering in the traffic pattern due to the sensory and visual illusions created by a lack of ground reference lights and/or terrain conspicuity [sic], and the dark nighttime conditions,” said the NTSB in determining the probable cause of this accident. The accident occurred at 1:23 a.m. local during a descending turn from base to final approach. The impact destroyed the airplane and killed the pilot and three passengers. VMC prevailed during the nighttime flight, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot had reported no difficulty with the airplane. With Bishop in sight, he started a VFR descent from 17,500 feet and radar service was terminated at 16,000 feet.
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