NTSB Identification: WPR15FA039
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, November 08, 2014 in Gilroy, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 03/08/2017
Aircraft: CESSNA 140A, registration: N5612C
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.
The airline transport pilot and passenger were flying in an area of wooded, rolling hills and valleys. When the airplane did not arrive at its destination as scheduled, a search was initiated. The wreckage was located the next day in a valley about 5 miles from the departure airport, where it came to rest beneath overhead distribution power lines. The unmarked lines were located about 300 ft above ground level, in an east-west orientation, and were anchored between two H-frame pole assemblies that stood on either side of the valley. There were no witnesses to the accident, but residences near the accident site reported a power outage near the time of the accident.
Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The propeller, right wing leading edge, and right wing strut exhibited impact marks consistent with a wire strike.
Given the position of the sun about the time of the accident, it is likely that sun glare contributed to the pilot’s inability to see the power lines as he flew the airplane along the valley at low altitude.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines while flying at a low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the obscuration of the pilot’s visibility due to sun glare.
Kiely Vaca
The Cessna 140A was piloted by Jon Dennis, 69, who along with passenger Kiely Vaca, 18, were killed on November 8th, 2014.
The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entities:
Federal Aviation Administration- Flight Standards District Office; San Jose FSDO-15, California;
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas;
Continental Motors Group; Mobile, Alabama.
Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
Docket And Docket Items - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms
Jon R. Dennis: http://registry.faa.gov/N5612C
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, November 08, 2014 in Gilroy, CA
Aircraft: CESSNA 140A, registration: N5612C
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.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On November 8, 2014 about 1500 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 140A, N5612C, collided with power lines and terrain near Gilroy, California. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The local flight originated from Frazier Lake Airpark, Hollister, California about 1430 with an intended destination of Monterey Bay Academy Airport, Watsonville, California.
A family member of the pilot reported the airplane overdue to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the evening of November 8, 2014, after becoming concerned when the pilot and passenger had not arrived. The FAA issued an Alert Notification (ALNOT) for the missing airplane, and the wreckage was located the following day within a heavily wooded valley about five miles north of Frazier Lake Airpark by search and rescue personnel.
Overhead power distribution lines had separated near their mid-spans over the valley near the accident site. The lines were supported by two wooden H-frame pole assemblies, separated at a distance of about 1,500 feet, and were about 300 feet above ground level near the accident site. Residents near the accident site reported a power outage around the time of the accident. There were no witnesses to the accident.
Examination of the accident site by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) revealed that the airplane collided with steep terrain and remained intact, with exception to the propeller assembly, which was located near the main wreckage. The main wreckage was about 600 feet south of the distribution lines. Braided wire striations were observed on the propeller assembly and outboard area of the right wing.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot, age 69, held an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine and multiengine land, airplane single-engine sea, instrument airplane, and rotorcraft rating. Additionally, the pilot held a flight instructor certificate with ratings in single- and multiengine land airplane, and a basic ground instructor certificate. A second-class airman medical certificate was issued on May 14, 2014 with restrictions that he must have available glasses for near vision. The pilot reported on his most recent medical certificate application that he had accumulated 22,000 total flight hours and 30 hours in the last 6 months.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The two-seat, high-wing airplane, serial number (S/N) 15545, was manufactured in 1950. It was powered by a Continental C-90-14F engine, serial number 42725-0-14, rated at 90 horsepower, and equipped with a McCauley fixed pitch propeller.
A review of the maintenance records revealed that during the last annual inspection on August 2, 2014, the airframe and engine both had a total time of 5,484 hours, with 1,092 hours on the engine since major overhaul.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The closest weather reporting station to the accident site was located at Salinas Municipal Airport, Salinas, California, which was located 26 miles southwest of the accident site, at an elevation of 84 feet msl. At 1453, several minutes prior to the accident, the station disseminated an automated observation report; wind 7 knots at 270 degrees, visibility 10 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 24° C, dew point 12° C, altimeter 29.99 inches of mercury.
According to the US Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department, in the town of Hollister, the sun was located at 20.1 degrees above the horizon at an azimuth of 228.9 east of north at 1500. Sunset was at 1702.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
Examination of the accident site revealed that the aircraft had been flying to the south and the wreckage was located on an east-facing slope of a wooded valley about five miles east of Gilroy, California. The wreckage was substantially damaged and there was no debris field. The first identified point of contact was tree strikes near the top of surrounding oak trees directly above the main wreckage. An area of disturbed dirt was found uphill from the wreckage on steep terrain. The area of disturbed dirt was about 25 feet in length and had paint transfer marks on rocky outcroppings. The propeller assembly was found near the main wreckage and had impact damage. The airplane was upright and was facing uphill in the direction of about 340 degrees magnetic. The engine and cowling had impact damage and were crushed rearward into the cabin area. Both wings had leading edge damage. The main gear legs were bent rearward. The right wheel separated from the landing gear strut. All primary flight controls were attached to the airplane. The right horizontal stabilizer had impact damage.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
The Santa Clara County Coroner conducted an autopsy on the pilot on November 10, 2014. The medical examiner determined that the cause of death was "multiple blunt force injuries due to airplane crash."
The FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) performed toxicology tests on the pilot. According to CAMI's report, carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles, and drugs were tested, and all results were negative.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
The right wing leading edge and right wing strut had impact marks consistent with a wire strike, and electrical arcing signatures were visible on one of the propeller blade leading edges. The postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. For further information, see the postaccident examination summary in the public docket for this accident.
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, November 08, 2014 in Gilroy, CA
Aircraft: CESSNA 140A, registration: N5612C
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 November 8, 2014 about 1500 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 140A, N5612C, collided with power lines and terrain near Gilroy, California. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The local flight originated from Frazier Lake Airpark (1C9), Hollister, California about 1430 with an intended destination of Monterey Bay Academy Airport, Watsonville, California.
A family member of the pilot reported the airplane overdue to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the evening of November 8, 2014, after becoming concerned when the pilot and passenger had not arrived at their intended destination. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an Alert Notification (ALNOT) for the missing airplane. The wreckage was located on November 9 within a heavily wooded area about 5 miles north of 1C9 by search and rescue personnel.
Examination of the accident site by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge revealed that the airplane collided with steep terrain and remained intact with exception to the propeller assembly which was located near the main wreckage. Both wings had leading edge damage, the engine and forward fuselage was severely crushed rearward, and the empennage remained attached with impact damage to the right horizontal stabilizer. All primary flight controls remained attached to the airplane. The separated propeller assembly revealed that one of its blades had multiple s-type bending and a small portion of that blade's tip was missing. The other blade was slightly bent rearward. Braided wire striations were observed on the outboard area of the right wing and propeller.
Overhead distribution power lines located a few hundred feet from the main wreckage were found separated near their mid-spans. The lines were supported by two wooden H-frame pole assemblies at a distance of about 1,500 feet and spanned the valley below, about 300 feet above ground level. According to residents near the accident site reported a power outage around the time of the accident.
The airplane wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.
GILROY, Calif. (KGO) -- A San Jose high school student is being remembered as a remarkable young women who had everything going for her, until the small plane she was in went down over the weekend.
Lincoln High School senior Kiely Vaca was killed in the crash in a remote area near Gilroy.
Students say it was very quiet at school on Monday. By all accounts, Vaca wasn't just well-liked, she was beloved. She was 18 years old and played varsity basketball.
News of her death hit the student body hard.
"Every class, you could hear a pin drop. Everything was silent," said student Nisreen Abuayed. "Usually it's really upbeat. Today, a lot of teachers said if you need a minute, to put your head down."
Volunteers gathered in the remote spot outside Gilroy where Vaca and 69-year-old Jon Dennis died in a plane crash Saturday night. Investigators are looking into why small plane went down, while those who knew Vaca are remembering how much she touched their lives.
"She put others before she put before herself in. Like she was really compassionate," John Garcia said. "She would try to help others out before she would help herself."
Grief counselors were at school all day to help students and teachers cope with the teen's death. Those closest to her were so distraught they didn't go to school at all.
"There might be some teenagers who haven't experienced a death of such a close friend, so it's really a time for parents to be on the lookout," San Jose Unified School District spokesman Jorge Quintana said.
Employees at Great America in Santa Clara are grieving too. Vaca worked in the park services department for two years. She was one of 2,500 hundred employees, but her manager Dan Murillo said she stood out.
"I always played around with her," he said. "I called her Ky-Ky, so she started calling me Dan-Dan. So every time we greeted each other she's like, 'Hey, Dan Dan' with her big smile, positive attitude."
She had a big smile that will no doubt live on in people's memory.
Story and Video: http://abc7news.com
Authorities were working over the weekend to recover wreckage from a small-plane crash that killed two people near Gilroy.
The passengers died Sunday, Santa Clara County coroner's officials said. They were identified as Kiely Vaca, 18, of San Jose, and Jon Dennis, 69, of Gilory, who owned the plane.
It had been traveling from Hollister to Watsonville, which is north of Monterey Bay.
Crews searching for the plane's wreckage found it Sunday morning.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the plane was the subject of an alert notice Saturday. The notices are usually issued when neither communication nor radar can be established with an aircraft.
A friend tweeted a photo showing Vaca wearing a headset used during a previous flight.
The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a small plane crash near Gilroy.
Allen Kenitzer, a spokesperson for the FAA, told NBC Bay Area that the accident occurred Saturday evening. The airplane, a Cessna 140, was traveling from Hollister to Watsonville. It crashed under unknown circumstances approximately four miles northwest of Hollister, Kenitzer said. The wreckage was discovered Sunday morning following a search.
According to local authorities, there were two people on board the aircraft at the time of the crash. Santa Clara County Sheriff's office tweeted that there were no survivors. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The FAA and the NTSB are investigating the accident. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is also on the scene of the crash. Sheriff's office spokesperson Kurtis Stenderup described the crash site as a rural area off Highway 152.
"We had to use ATVs and 4x4 to get to the actual crash site," he said.
Plane crash north of Pacheco Pass Highway
Gilroy, CALIF. - The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is working a crash site for a small plane north of Pacheco Pass Highway in Gilroy.
At this time it is still unknown if the crash is related to the missing aircraft reported Sunday morning in San Benito County.
Santa Clara County sheriffs and the California wing of the Civil Air Patrol are on the scene of the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board has also been called to the scene.
The Cessna 140 aircraft flew out of Frazier Lake Airport in Hollister at 1 p.m. Saturday and didn't return when due back. A man and a woman were reported on board the plane.
The search for the missing aircraft has been underway since 6 a.m.
Updated: Plane crash reported off Pacheco Pass
Authorities have located an airplane that crashed off Pacheco Pass that may be the missing aircraft reported Sunday morning.
A rancher found the crashed aircraft off Pacheco Pass near Canada Road, said Capt. Eric Taylor with the San Benito County Sheriff's Office.
Authorities were already searching for an airplane that took off from Frazier Lake Airpark on Saturday and did not return when due back, according to a statement from the county sheriff's office released Sunday morning.
There was a man from Gilroy and woman from San Jose on the plane, but families asked that authorities not immediately identify them, Taylor said.
"They're hiking down to see if it's the same plane or not," said Taylor, referring to deputies with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.
The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office received a report at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday about an "overdue aircraft" at Frazier Lake Airpark in San Benito County. The plane took off around noon and had yet to return as of shortly before 10 a.m. Sunday, according to the sheriff's office in its initial release.
Those two people were on board the 1950 Cessna 140A aircraft, described as being white with a red nose and red stripe down the side.
"The pilot has a history of just doing some local flying," Taylor said.
Anybody having any information on this missing aircraft was urged to call the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office at (831) 636-4080 or a nearby enforcement agency.
Look back for more. This story is developing.
Gilroy: Plane crash leaves no survivors
At least person has been found dead amid the wreckage of a plane that crashed on a ranch just east of Gilroy, a Santa Clara Sheriff's County spokesman said Sunday.
Sheriff's Office personnel were called to the property just off the Highway 152 corridor around 10 a.m. Sunday, and did locate at least one body, spokesman Deputy Kurtis Stenderup said. It was not known immediately when the plane crashed, but Stenderup said nobody on the property was injured.
Officers from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were expected to be at the scene either late Sunday or early Monday morning, he said.
"We have no survivors," he said. "We're holding off on giving out anything official until the NTSB and the FAA representatives arrive."
Officials did not say immediately whether the plane was the Cessna 140 that went missing Saturday night with a man and woman aboard. That plane left Frazier Lake Airpark in Hollister around 1 p.m. Saturday, and was reported overdue around 10 p.m. when it didn't return.
The site of the crash is in a hilly area and difficult to reach, Stenderup said.
"The crash is in a very remote area, so there are some logistical issues with trying to get there. But we're working on that."
The U.S. Air Force Search and Rescue team, and the Civil Air Patrol searched early Sunday for the missing plane, which had a tail number of #N5612C, according to authorities.
