Bob Berg with his wife, Donna Berg
Robert ‘Bob' Berg died in Templeton Plane Crash
John Warren
John Warren routinely flew with Robert “Bob” Berg, before the plane accident that took their lives June 07, 2014
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; San Jose, California
Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Aviation Accident Data Summary - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
NTSB Identification: WPR14FA234
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, June 07, 2014 in Paso Robles, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/29/2016
Aircraft: PIPER J3C, registration: N24918
Injuries: 2 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.
Witnesses observed the airplane lift off and, about midfield, start a right turn. The bank angle continued to steepen until the wings were vertical to the ground. The airplane appeared to be moving very slowly; the nose then lowered directly toward the ground. It is likely that during this steep turn, the airplane exceeded its critical angle-of-attack and stalled. The airplane came to rest about 500 feet abeam the midpoint of the runway, and sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. A caretaker at the pilot’s ranch reported that he had observed numerous takeoffs and had never seen the pilot make a midfield turn. The pilot normally turned left or right at the departure end of the runway.
A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's steep right turn shortly after takeoff, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On June 7, 2014, about 1005 Pacific daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N24918, collided with terrain during the takeoff initial climb from Oak Country Ranch Airport near Paso Robles, California. The owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot and the private pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence. The cross-country personal flight was departing with a planned destination of Paso Robles Municipal Airport. Visual (VMC) meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The private pilot-rated passenger owned the airplane and the private airport. Several acquaintances met the pilot at the airplane as he was going to allow them to cut firewood close to the runway. The acquaintances went to the wood cutting site, which was a couple of hundred yards west of the departure end of the runway, and at a slight higher elevation than the runway. They observed the airplane lift off, and bank to the right as it was climbing. The bank angle continued to steepen until the wings were vertical to the ground, and the airplane appeared to be very slow; it then went nose low directly toward the ground. Terrain prevented them from seeing ground impact.
The airplane came to rest about 500 feet west of the midpoint of the runway. Some of the acquaintances had medical training, and immediately responded to the crash site.
A caretaker at the ranch had observed numerous takeoffs, and stated that he had seen not seen a departure at the midpoint of the runway. Most were to the left at the end of the takeoff runway; the few that were to the right were also at the end of the runway.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
First Pilot
A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman records revealed that the 66-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, instrument airplane, and lighter-than-air balloon. The pilot held a flight instructor (FI) certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine and multiengine land.
The pilot held a second-class medical certificate issued on September 11, 2013. It had the limitations that the pilot must wear corrective lenses for distant vision, and have glasses for near vision.
No personal flight records were located for the pilot. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) obtained the aeronautical experience listed in this report from a review of the FAA airmen medical records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The pilot reported on his last medical application that he had a total time of 4,300 hours with 80 hours logged in the previous 6 months.
Second Pilot
A review of FAA airman records revealed that the 82-year-old second pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, single-engine sea, glider, and instrument airplane.
The pilot was issued a limited third-class medical certificate on January 26, 2012. It had the limitations that the pilot must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. The pilot's medical certificate was no longer valid after January 31, 2014. This pilot's most recent valid medical certificate had expired, but he was flying a Light-Sport Aircraft. He was medically eligible to fly as a light sport pilot as long as he had a valid driver's license, and was in compliance with 14 CFR 61.53 "Prohibition on operations during medical deficiency."
An examination of a logbook for the second pilot contained four entries between April 8 and May 17, 2014, for a total flight time of 6.1 hours. Additional aeronautical experience was obtained from the FAA airmen medical records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center located in Oklahoma City. The pilot reported on his medical application that he had a total time of 7,500 hours with 30 hours logged in the previous 6 months.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The airplane was a high-wing, single-engine Piper J3C-65, serial number 3535, with fixed, conventional (tail-wheel equipped) landing gear; it was manufactured in 1939. A review of the airplane's logbooks revealed that the airplane had a total airframe time of 1,763 hours at the most recent annual inspection dated June 6, 2014. The tachometer read 163.69 at the most recent inspection; it read 172.98 at the accident site. The airframe was reassembled with numerous new components in March 2013.
The engine was a Continental Motors, Inc. (CMI), A65-8, serial number 4678168. Total time recorded on the engine at the most recent annual inspection was 1,016.35 hours, and time since major overhaul in March 2013 was 49.45 hours.
AIRPORT INFORMATION
The Oak Country Ranch Airport runway 17 was 2,200 feet long by 50 feet wide, and the runway surface was asphalt. The elevation was 1,200 feet msl.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The NTSB IIC and inspectors from the FAA examined the wreckage on scene. A full report of the airframe and engine examination is contained within the public docket for this accident.
The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was a ground scar underneath the engine. There was no debris path; all of the wreckage was contained at the site of impact. The orientation of the fuselage was 272 degrees.
The airplane came to rest on its left side in an open grassy field adjacent to the runway. The left wing sustained substantially more damage than the right wing. The left wing was crumpled its entire length with substantial buckling at the wing root. The left aileron was buckled in several places. The left main landing gear was crushed under the fuselage; the right main landing gear was intact.
Investigators left the engine in place, and manually rotated the crankshaft with the propeller blade remnants; the crankshaft rotated freely. A borescope inspection revealed no mechanical deformation on the valves, cylinder walls, or internal cylinder head. They obtained thumb compression on all cylinders in firing order. The ignition harness had sustained damage. Investigators removed the magnetos, and then the back covers. They manually rotated the magnetos, and both magnetos produced spark at all posts.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
The San Luis Obispo County Medical Examiner completed an autopsy on both pilots. The cause of death of both pilots was reported as the effect of blunt force injuries.
Toxicological tests on specimens recovered from both pilots were performed by the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute.
Analysis of the specimens for the first pilot contained no findings for carbon monoxide, volatiles, and tested drugs. They did not perform tests for cyanide.
Analysis of the specimens for the second pilot contained no findings for volatiles. They did not perform tests for cyanide. The report contained the following findings for tested drugs: amlodopine detected in blood and liver, and benazepril detected in blood. Both of the detected drugs are used to treat high blood pressure.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Stalls
The FAA Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3A), discussed stalls in Chapter 4. It pointed out that a stall occurred when the smooth airflow over the airplane's wing was disrupted, and the lift degenerated rapidly. This was caused when the wing exceeded its critical angle of attack. It noted that this could occur at any airspeed, in any attitude, and with any power setting.
NTSB Identification: WPR14FA234
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, June 07, 2014 in Paso Robles, CA
Aircraft: PIPER J3C 65, registration: N24918
Injuries: 2 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. 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.
On June 7, 2014, about 1005 Pacific daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N24918, collided with terrain during the takeoff initial climb from Oak Country Ranch Airport near Paso Robles, California. The owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot and the private pilot rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence. The cross-country personal flight was departing with a planned destination of Paso Robles Municipal Airport. Visual (VMC) meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
Witnesses observed the airplane lift off, and bank to the right as it was climbing. The bank angle continued to steepen and the airplane pitched down directly toward the ground. Terrain prevented them from seeing ground impact.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) and inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) examined the wreckage on scene. The airplane came to rest on its left side in an open grassy field adjacent to the runway. The left wing sustained more damage than the right wing. The left wing was crumpled its entire length with substantial buckling at the wing root. The left aileron was buckled in several places. The left main landing gear was crushed under the fuselage; the right main landing gear was intact.
Investigators left the engine in place, and manually rotated the crankshaft with the propeller blade remnants; the crankshaft rotated freely. A borescope inspection revealed no mechanical deformation on the valves, cylinder walls, or internal cylinder head. They obtained compression on all cylinders in firing order. The ignition harness was damaged. Investigators removed the magnetos, and the back covers. The magnetos were manually rotated, and both produced spark at all posts. NTSB Identification: WPR14FA234
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, June 07, 2014 in Paso Robles, CA
Aircraft: PIPER J3C 65, registration: N24918
Injuries: 2 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. 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.
On June 7, 2014, about 1005 Pacific daylight time, a Piper J3C-65, N24918, collided with terrain during the takeoff initial climb from Oak Country Ranch Airport near Paso Robles, California. The owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The commercial pilot and the private pilot rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence. The cross-country personal flight was departing with a planned destination of Paso Robles Municipal Airport. Visual (VMC) meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
Witnesses observed the airplane lift off, and bank to the right as it was climbing. The bank angle continued to steepen and the airplane pitched down directly toward the ground. Terrain prevented them from seeing ground impact.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC) and inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) examined the wreckage on scene. The airplane came to rest on its left side in an open grassy field adjacent to the runway. The left wing sustained more damage than the right wing. The left wing was crumpled its entire length with substantial buckling at the wing root. The left aileron was buckled in several places. The left main landing gear was crushed under the fuselage; the right main landing gear was intact.
Investigators left the engine in place, and manually rotated the crankshaft with the propeller blade remnants; the crankshaft rotated freely. A borescope inspection revealed no mechanical deformation on the valves, cylinder walls, or internal cylinder head. They obtained compression on all cylinders in firing order. The ignition harness was damaged. Investigators removed the magnetos, and the back covers. The magnetos were manually rotated, and both produced spark at all posts.
UPDATE 7:10 P.M.: The Sheriff's Office has released the names of the two men who died in the plance crash. They are Robert Berg, 82, of Paso Robles and John Warren, 66, of Paso Robles.
FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the plane was a Piper J3C-65 that crashed for unknown reasons in a field after taking off at Oak Country Ranch Airport.
A 1939 Piper J3C-65 was registered to Robert and Donna Berg, according to FAA records.
Authorities said autopsies are scheduled for next week and the investigation of the crash is ongoing. The National Transportation Safety Board is the lead investigative agency.
UPDATE 2:45 P.M.: The location of the plane crash was at Oak Country Ranch Airport, which is registered with the FAA as a privately-owned airport with a single asphalt runway that is owned by Robert O. Berg.
No information has been released yet on the identities of the two men killed in the crash.
UPDATE 12 P.M.: A single engine Piper Cub airplane taking off from a private landing strip at a ranch on Vineyard Drive in Templeton crashed at 10:02 a.m., killing the two men on board, Sheriff's Office spokesman Tony Cipolla said.
"Witnesses saw that just after the plane took off it banked to the right ... and spiraled down to the ground," he said. There were no injuries or buildings damaged on the ground, Cipolla said.
The identities of the two men have not yet been determined.
Cipolla said that investigators with the Sheriff's Office and the coroner's office are on scene at the airstrip in the 5100 block of Vineyard Drive. Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are on their way to investigate, Cipolla said.
ORIGINAL STORY: A single engine plane has crashed in North County and two people have been killed, Cal Fire is reporting.
The crash was reported at 10:02 a.m. northwest of Templeton, a San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office spokesman said. Sheriff's investigators and the coroner's unit is on scene, he confirmed.
The San Luis Obispo County Fire Department reported Saturday morning that there were two fatalities connected to a single engine aircraft crash near Fairhills Road and Vineyard Drive near Templeton, on the rural west side of the Paso Robles wine region.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department confirmed that two were killed in the crash. Next of kin still needs to be notified, so the identities of the victims was not immediately released.
Residents in the region tell KCBX that a helicopter has been hovering over the immediate area. An airstrip is located nearby, according to one neighbor, on the ranch previously owned by actor Josh Brolin.
There was no fire associated with the crash and neighbors said they were surprised they didn't hear anything.
Source: http://kcbx.org
Area where a plane crashed on Saturday morning in Paso Robles wine country.
Image from Google Maps.
Two men killed in North County plane crash
Two men died Saturday morning when a plane crashed at a private airstrip in the 5100 block of Vineyard Drive in Templeton near Highway 46 west.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a plane crash at about 10 a.m. When they arrived they discovered a single engine Piper Cub airplane had crashed in an open field.
There were two male occupants on board the plane, the pilot and a passenger. Both are confirmed fatalities. Identification of the victims are pending notification of next of kin.
Witnesses reported seeing the plane take off and then a short time later start to bank to the right. It continued this circular pattern until it spiraled to the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are en route to the scene.
UPDATE: Sunday, June 8, 2014 at 11:49 a.m.
The subjects were identified by the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department as Robert Berg 82 years old of Paso Robles and John Warren, 66 years old of Paso Robles.
Neighbors describe the men as very knowledgeable pilots who loved the Paso Robles area, and were well-respected in the community.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The San Luis Obispo County Fire Department reported Saturday morning that there were two fatalities connected to a single engine aircraft crash near Fairhills Road and Vineyard Drive near Templeton, on the rural west side of the Paso Robles wine region.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department confirmed that two men were killed in the crash. Next of kin still needs to be notified, so the identities of the victims was not immediately released.
"Witnesses reported seeing the plane take off and then a short time later start to bank to the right," said Tony Cipolla, the sheriff's department spokesperson. "It continued this circular pattern until it spiraled to the ground."
Residents in the region tell KCBX that a helicopter has been hovering over the immediate area. An airstrip is located nearby, according to one neighbor, on the ranch previously owned by actor Josh Brolin.
There was no fire associated with the crash and neighbors said they were surprised they didn't hear anything.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating.
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