14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, August 10, 2012 in Santa Monica, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 01/27/2015
Aircraft: CESSNA P210N, registration: N41KA
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
About 15 minutes after departure, the pilot contacted air traffic control and requested a return to the departure airport without indicating the reason. About 10 minutes later, the pilot was instructed to enter a right base leg for the runway and was subsequently cleared to land behind traffic. One minute later, the pilot declared an emergency, but he did not identify the nature of the emergency. No further transmissions were made by the pilot. The airplane then collided with treetops on a southeasterly heading about 3 miles northeast of the airport and continued about 200 feet before striking the top of a palm tree and falling to the ground. A postcrash fire consumed the majority of the airplane. Postaccident examination of the airframe revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The engine spark plugs were covered in heavy, dark soot indicative of an extremely rich mixture condition, which could have resulted in a loss of engine power. The engine was examined and subsequently placed on a test stand. After repairs were made to facilitate an engine run, the engine started, ran, and responded to throttle movements with no discrepancies noted. The reason for the return to the departure airport and subsequent reported emergency could not be determined. The investigation found that the pilot may have had therapeutic levels of doxylamine, a sedating antihistamine, in his blood about the time of the accident. However, based on the circumstances of the accident, it is unlikely that pilot impairment from doxylamine contributed to the accident. Further, the carbon monoxide present in the pilot’s blood is consistent with postaccident exposure to combustion products.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's failure to maintain altitude during a return to the airport following an unspecified emergency; the nature of the emergency could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On August 10, 2012, about 1811 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna P210N, N41KA, impacted trees and terrain about 3 miles northeast of the Santa Monica Airport (SMO), Santa Monica, California. The private pilot/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage in the post impact fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed SMO about 1744, and no flight plan had been filed.
According to a Los Angeles City fire fighter/paramedic, he was about a block away clearing a call when he heard tree branches snapping. He turned around and saw the accident airplane in a nose down attitude. The airplane struck a 30-foot-tall palm tree, rotated 90 degrees, and dropped straight down. The airplane was then involved in a post-crash fire. The witness stated that he did not recall hearing the sound of the airplane's engine.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot, age 70, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, and instrument airplane. He held a third-class medical certificate issued on October 21, 2011. According to his logbook, the pilot had accumulated a total time of 3,200 hours.
According to the pilot's son, his father had flown from Santa Monica to Mammoth, California, Carson City, Nevada, Reno, Nevada, then to Monterey, California, Santa Barbara, California, and then back to Santa Monica, the week before the accident. He further stated that the flight before the accident, the airplane seemed to be operating normally.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The accident airplane was a 1978 Cessna P210N, serial number P21000045. The pilot purchased the airplane in October 1997.
Last annual inspection was performed on October 21, 2011, at an aircraft total time of 3,361.5 hours; tachometer time of 1,258 hours. A 50-hour airframe inspection was signed off on May 17, 2012, at an aircraft total time of 3,402.7 hours and a tachometer time of 1,299.2 hours.
According to the engine logbook, a Continental Motors Inc. (CMI) TSIO-520-P7 serial number 513052 was removed and a factory remanufactured zero-time CMI TSIO-520-P7, serial number 278910-R, 300-horsepower engine was installed on December 16, 2002; the airplane total time was 2,455.0 hours, and tachometer time 357.0 hours. An entry dated October 21, 2011, recorded a total engine time of 906.5 hours, and a time since major overhaul of 906.5 hours. The last 50-hour engine inspection was signed off on May 17, 2012, at a total time of 947.7 hours.
The accident airplane was refueled on August 4, 2012, by American Flyers at SMO with the addition of 32.2 gallons of 100-Low Lead Aviation fuel.
COMMUNICATIONS
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot had been in contact with both Santa Monica (SMO) Tower and Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control (SCT) controllers. The flight departed SMO about 1744. The FAA reviewed the radar data and reported that the airplane departed over the ocean and made a right turn to the east, toward Burbank Airport. At 17:47, the pilot requested a frequency change to SCT, and contacted SCT at 17:48. The pilot requested flight following en-route to Mammoth Lakes, California. At 17:51, SCT instructed the pilot to contact a different SCT sector. The pilot checked in with the new SCT controller and reported that he was climbing out of 2,300 feet.
At 18:00, the pilot contacted SCT with a request to return to SMO without giving a reason to the controller. Between 18:01 and 18:08, SCT queried whether the pilot wanted to transition east or west of Van Nuys Airport (VNY), Van Nuys, California, to SMO. The pilot responded that he would be transitioning east of VNY. The controller then instructed the pilot to contact SMO tower.
At 18:08, the pilot contacted SMO Tower and reported that he was in the "pass" with Kilo; SMO tower instructed him to enter a right base for runway 21 and the pilot confirmed "right base." Radar data identified the aircraft tracking on a straight path and descending to enter the airport area on a right base leg. At 18:10, SMO Tower informed the pilot that he was number 3 and to follow the King Air, 2 miles straight-in, and to report if he had the aircraft in sight. The pilot subsequently reported that he had the King Air in sight. The controller then instructed the pilot to follow traffic, he was number 2 and cleared to land. The pilot acknowledged that he was cleared to land.
At 1811 the pilot reported to SMO tower that he had an emergency. The tower controller queried the pilot as to the nature of the emergency; however, there was no response from the pilot. Radar data identified the last target on the aircraft at 1811:08 at an altitude of 400 feet.
According to the FAA, tower personnel reported hearing an unidentified squealing noise in the background during the last transmission from the pilot.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (NTSB IIC) and an inspector from the FAA responded to the accident site. The accident site was about 3 miles northeast of the SMO airport. The first identified point of contact was the tree-lined street of South Glendon Avenue; several tree tops had been damaged about 200 feet west of the final resting spot of the airplane. The airplane had been on a southeasterly heading (140-degrees) before it impacted a 30 foot palm tree at the intersection of South Glendon Avenue and Mississippi Avenue. The airplane came to rest on a magnetic heading of 230-degrees at the base of the palm tree; the airplane impacted the top one-third of the palm tree. The majority of the airplane was thermally consumed in the post-impact fire, and the entire airplane came to rest at the accident site. The instrument panel had been destroyed in the fire.
The engine along with the propeller assembly separated from the firewall and came to rest on its right side adjacent to the empennage and left wing.
During the recovery of the airplane, as the left wing was picked up by the recovery personnel, fuel began to flow out of the wing. The wing had been compromised during the accident sequence. It was estimated that there was 25-gallons of fuel that spilled out. The fuel was not recovered.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
A postmortem examination was conducted by the County of Los Angeles Department of Coroner on August 13, 2012. The Coroner reported that the pilot had succumbed to burns over greater than 90-percent of his body.
The FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute performed forensic toxicology on specimens from the pilot. The results were negative for tested volatiles, and a cyanide test was not performed. There was a positive result for carbon monoxide 19-percent carbon monoxide was detected in blood. The specimens also tested positive for Dextromethorphan, which was detected in the pilot's urine and blood. Dextrorphan was detected in the pilot's urine, but not in his blood. Also detected in the pilot's blood was 0.168 (ug/ml, ug/g) Doxylamine.
TEST AND RESEARCH
On August 12, 2013, investigators from the NTSB, Cessna Aircraft Company (Cessna), and CMI, examined the airframe and engine at Aircraft Recovery Service, Pearblossom, California. The postaccident examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe and engine. A detailed report is in the public docket for this accident.
Flight continuity was established throughout the airplane via cables and associated hardware. The right wing had been consumed by fire. The left wing remained attached to the fuselage. The rudder remained attached to the empennage, and the left aileron remained attached to the left wing. The elevator and horizontal stabilizer were consumed in the fire. The right main and nose landing gear were extended down and locked; the left gear was in an intermediate position. The instrument panel sustained severe thermal damage and was destroyed with only the radio stack visible. The engine JPI was destroyed. The fuel selector was positioned to the left wing.
The engine crankshaft rotated via the propeller and drive train and mechanical continuity was established. Rotation of the propeller also established continuity of the ignition system, resulting in a spark at each of the top ignition leads. The cylinders were borescoped with no signs of operational distress observed. All of the top sparkplugs were covered with heavy, black soot. The right side top spark plugs were also oil soaked. The turbocharger impeller revolved freely when rotated by hand.
The 3-bladed propeller exhibited very little rotational damage (no leading edge gouging or chord wise scrapes). Two of the blades displayed slight bending, while one remained straight. The two blades that were slightly bent were free to rotate in the hub. The propeller governor remained intact and in place at the front of the engine.
The engine was shipped to CMI for further examination. Under the auspices of an NTSB investigator, the engine was inspected and repairs were made to facilitate an engine run. The engine was started, ran, and responded to throttle movements with no discrepancies noted. The report is in the public docket for this accident. The engine's turbocharger (absolute pressure controller, wastegate, and pressure relief valve) were functionally tested at Hartzell Engine Technologies facility in Montgomery, Alabama, under NTSB oversight. All of the turbocharger components functioned within specification.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, August 10, 2012 in Santa Monica, CA
Aircraft: CESSNA P210N, registration: N41KA
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On August 10, 2012, about 1811 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna P210N, N41KA, impacted trees and terrain about 3 miles northeast of the Santa Monica Airport (SMO), Santa Monica, California. The private pilot/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage in the post impact fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed SMO about 1745, and no flight plan had been filed.
According to a Los Angeles City firefighter/paramedic, he was about a block away clearing a call when he heard tree branches snapping. He turned around and saw the accident airplane in a nose down attitude. The airplane struck a 30-foot-tall palm tree, rotated 90 degrees, and dropped straight down. The airplane was then involved in a post-crash fire. The witness stated that he did not recall hearing the sound of the airplane’s engine.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (NTSB IIC) and an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) responded to the accident site. The accident path was along a heading of 140 degrees magnetic (S. Glendon Avenue). Several trees were impacted along the path by the airplane before it impacted a palm tree. The investigation team noted a witness mark on the top 1/3 of the palm tree. The entire airplane came to rest at the accident site.
The airplane was recovered and taken to a secure facility for further examination.
View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com.
The pilot who died when his small plane crashed into a
West Los Angeles neighborhood Friday evening flew volunteer medical
missions using his Santa Monica Airport-based aircraft, according to a
friend.
He was identified by his neighbor as
attorney Sean McMillan of Westchester. He had been flying charitable
flights for those medically in need for about 20 years through a service
called Angel Flight, the neighbor said.
McMillan's plane crashed two blocks from Olympic and Westwood boulevards
at about 6:15 p.m. on Friday, sending a plume of smoke into the air and
bringing dozens of firefighters and police officers to the scene – a
residential neighborhood.
He was killed on impact, and his
Cessna 210 broke into pieces that lay charred on the ground in an
intersection, aerial video showed.
A home saw an exterior wall damaged, and a palm tree
went up in flames that were quickly doused by firefighters, video from
the scene showed. No one on the ground was injured.
"I know for a fact Sean would've
aimed his airplane at the last moment for an empty street," said
McMillan's neighbor Charlie Fredricy.
The State Bar of California lists an M.S. McMillan as
a lawyer at the Century City-based firm of Greenberg Traurig. The
firm's website lists a Sean McMillan as a shareholder who is a member of Angel Flight.
The bar listing for McMillan says he had an undergraduate degree from USC and a law degree from Harvard University.
On Friday, a spokesman with the
Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that the plane had declared
an emergency after departing Santa Monica Airport, about 3 miles
southwest of the crash site.
Neighbors near the crash site – in the 2100 block of Glendon Avenue (map) – said planes going to and from the airport frequently fly overhead.
The plane "flew around for an
unknown period of time, and was coming back to land when the accident
occurred," said the FAA's Ian Gregor on Friday.
Multiple witnesses said they saw the plane flying low before it crashed.
FAA records for the aircraft said it was a fixed-wing, single-engine Cessa 210 that was manufactured in 1978.
Investigators with the National
Transportation Safety Board removed the wreckage early Saturday. Some
flowers had been left on the site.
The pilot who died after his plane crashed onto a sidestreet in West Los Angeles yesterday has been identified by a neighbor who knew him as a local attorney, who volunteered to fly planes for charity.
A friend and neighbor told NBC Los Angeles that the pilot who perished in yesterday's fiery plane crash was Sean McMillan of Westchester. He was an attorney at at the Century City-based law firm Greenberg Traurig. Charlie Fredricy said that McMillan was in his 70's and for two decades he had volunteered with a group called Angel Flight.
Fredricy described McMillan as a generous person who would have gone out of his way to make sure no one else was hurt as his plane went down: "I know for a fact Sean would've aimed his airplane at the last moment for an empty street."
Locals who saw the plane before it crashed said that it had been flying extremely low before it crashed into the intersection of Glendon Avenue and Mississippi. The FAA told reporters that the pilot declared an "emergency" for an unknown reason. He was trying to turn his fixed-wing, single-engine Cessa 210 around to land back at the Santa Monica, which was just three miles away.
Related:
Plane Crashes Into West Los Angeles Neighborhood, Killing 1
A Cessna 210 crashed Friday on Aug. 10, 2012 in West Los Angeles. One person on board has been reported killed.
A crash site of a single-engine Cessna 210 is seen in the 2100 block of South Glendon Avenue in the West LA portion of Los Angeles, California, August 10, 2012. The plane crashed about three miles northeast from the airport shortly after taking off from Santa Monica Airport, killing one person aboard but causing no injuries to anyone on the ground. 
A small plane crashed into a tree in a Westwood neighborhood on Friday, August 10, 2012.
Authorities have said a small fixed-wing aircraft crashed in a residential neighborhood on the westside of Los Angeles on Friday evening, and one person had died.
The victim's age and gender was not immediately known, fire officials said. No other victims have been discovered.
The pilot of the single-engine Cessna
210 declared an emergency around 6:10 p.m., shortly after departing
Santa Monica airport, which is about three miles northeast from the site
of the crash, according to Ian Gregor, with the Federal Aviation
Administration.
It was not immediately know why the
pilot signaled an emergency. The plane is registered to a Santa Monica
resident, Gregor said.
Aerial video showed smoke rising from
the scene, a residential neighborhood in West Los Angeles. A blackened,
broken-apart plane appeared in the roadway.
The plane appeared to crash near homes but no structures were involved in the crash, officials said.
Los Angeles firefighters were on the scene spraying down the wreckage. It appeared to be partly in an intersection.
An alert sent out by the Los Angeles Fire Department at 6:18 p.m. gave the address as 2111 Glendon Avenue (map).
A man who said he lived less than a block from the scene spoke on air during the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. via phone.
"I saw a small plane go right
overhead. It literally clipped the power lines right behind myself. Instantly, I heard it hit the ground and there was smoke. We ran over
there … the plane was already engulfed in flames, the tree was on fire,"
said the neighbor, who gave his name as Matt.
He added that there was "high air traffic" in the area going into Santa Monica Airport.
"They usually go in that direction, but obviously never that low," Matthew said.
