Friday, November 02, 2018

Cessna 180D, N6414X: Accident occurred October 30, 2018 near Lake California Air Park (68CA), Cottonwood, Shasta County, California

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

https://registry.faa.gov/N6414X

Location: Cottonwood, CA
Accident Number: WPR19LA017
Date & Time: 10/30/2018, 0924 PDT
Registration: N6414X
Aircraft: Cessna 180
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under:  Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On October 30, 2018, about 0924 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 180D airplane, N6414X, impacted terrain short of the runway during an approach for landing at Lake California Air Park (68CA), Cottonwood, California. The private pilot/owner sustained serious injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to the pilot, and operated as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions existed in the area at the time of the accident. The flight had originated from Palo Alto Airport (PAO), Palo Alto, California, earlier that morning.

According to the pilot, he kept the airplane in a tiedown spot at PAO. On October 22, he topped off both fuel tanks at Byron Airport (C83) Byron, California, adding about 46 gallons total. He then flew the airplane to PAO, about 32 miles away, where it remained unused until the accident flight. 68CA was located about 175 miles from PAO, and the pilot conducted the trip non-stop, along an essentially direct routing. None of the cockpit instruments, including the fuel flow indicator, displayed any unusual or concerning indications during the flight. When the airplane was on the final approach leg to 68CA, at an altitude of about 200 ft above ground level, the engine suddenly "quit." Given the low altitude, the pilot was only able to verify a few cockpit controls for proper settings before focusing on the landing. He specifically reported that he verified the magneto and the throttle positions. The pilot opted to land straight ahead into a field, but then observed powerlines. He determined that the airplane was too high to underfly them, and tried to maneuver the airplane over them to avoid a wire strike. The pilot reported that that maneuver resulted in an aerodynamic stall, and the airplane "pancaked" onto the ground. He used his telephone to notify a mechanic, who was expecting him at 68CA, about the accident.

The airplane came to rest upright in a level field, about 3,300 ft short of 68CA runway 32. The cowl and forward fuselage were crushed and fractured. The left main landing gear was fracture-separated from the airframe, and the outboard left wing was crumpled. One blade of the all-metal, two-blade propeller was bent aft, while the other blade appeared undamaged. There was no fire. Both fuel caps were securely installed. The responding fire chief reported that he had found the fuel selector valve set to the left tank; he turned it off as a safety precaution. The mechanic who was notified of the accident by the pilot responded to the scene. He reported that there were no indications of any fuel leakage on the exterior of the airplane, or on the ground beneath the airplane.

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and single-engine sea ratings. He reported that he had a total flight experience of about 1,270 hours, including about 500 hours in the accident airplane make and model. He was operating under the provisions of an FAA BasicMed approval, which he obtained in August 2017.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicated that the airplane was manufactured in 1960, and was equipped with a Continental Motors O-470 series engine. The pilot reported that he purchased the airplane in September 2014, and that the airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed about 4 months prior to the accident.

68CA was a private airstrip situated at an elevation of 615 ft above mean sea level. It was equipped with a single paved runway, designated 14/32, which measured 75 ft by 3,000 ft. The airport was not equipped with an air traffic control tower.

The 0953 automated weather observation at Redding Municipal Airport (RDD), located about 10 miles north of 68CA, included winds from 340° at 10 knots, gusts to 19 kts, visibility 10 miles, clear skies, temperature 17° C, dew point 1° C, and an altimeter setting of 30.21 inches of mercury.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Cessna
Registration: N6414X
Model/Series: 180 D
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: RDD, 505 ft msl
Observation Time: 0953 PDT
Distance from Accident Site: 10 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 17°C / 1°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 10 knots / 19 knots, 340°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 Miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.21 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: Palo Alto, CA (PAO)
Destination: Cottonwood, CA (68CA)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude:  40.351111, -122.205278



A pilot survived a light plane crash about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in a grassy field behind Lake California.

The man wasn't a Lake California resident, said Scott Nielsen, general manager of the gated, private community in Tehama County.

"I don't know why the plane came down. He was flying across the lake on an approach," Nielsen said. "He landed in a field and missed the PG&E lines. He did a good job landing."

The pilot survived the crash but apparently suffered unspecified injuries, according to a witness. 

The crash occurred about a quarter-mile away from the Lake California Airport and runway, said Erick Puckett, battalion chief for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Tehama-Glenn Unit.

Puckett said the two-seat plane experienced some sort of mechanical problem while inbound to the runway. The pilot was taken to a Redding hospital, he said.

In addition to the Cal Fire response, officers from the Tehama County Sheriff's Office and an ambulance crew went to the scene.

Original article can be found here ➤ https://www.redding.com



UPDATE 1:35 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018 - According to Cal Fire, the crash occurred around 9:36 a.m. on Tuesday in Cottonwood. 

The plane did not hit the power lines, although that was initially a concern. 

A single pilot was transported by ambulance to a medical facility. He is alert and conscious. The plane was heavily damaged. 

Officials with Cal Fire believe that the Cessna plane was most likely flying from the south near the Bay Area and attempting to land at Lake California Airport. 

COTTONWOOD, Calif. - A small plane made a crash landing in Cottonwood on Monday.

The plane landed near Lake California Air Park close to a row of power lines. 

Original article ➤ https://www.actionnewsnow.com

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