Sunday, June 26, 2022

Cessna 336 Skymaster, N3835U: Fatal accident occurred June 18, 2022 in Tulare County, California

National Transportation Safety Board accident number: WPR22FA216

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Fresno, California

Aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances shortly after takeoff. 


Date: 18-JUN-22
Time: 21:55:00Z
Regis#: N3835U
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 336
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Total Fatal: 1
Flight Crew: 1 fatal
Pax: 0
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: INITIAL CLIMB (ICL)
Operation: 91
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: SUBSTANTIAL
City: PORTERVILLE
State: CALIFORNIA

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation may contact them by email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. You can also call the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.

11 comments:

  1. Track, to the extent it was captured:
    https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N3835U/history/20220618/2146Z/KPTV/L%2035.99753%20-119.03893

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  2. Looking at the fellows Instagrams…it looks like that bird was very recently painted.

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    1. Good video of the repaint: https://youtu.be/-jgl4d8SXC4?t=62 Based on this guy's youtube channel, he likely had 3 or 4 GoPros running when the accident happened. RIP :(

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  3. Photo of scene:
    https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2022/06/Porterville-Aircraft2.jpg

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  4. N3835U in happier days: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAqng09M_7o&ab_channel=SullivanVanWay

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    1. Good flying to a lake bed in this other video:
      https://youtu.be/ruoJKryLdrg?t=315

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  5. Sad to see another life lost, likely to be another event where having two engines wasn't assurance for maintaining control and continuing on successfully with one engine out.

    There is a psychology to acceptance of the reality that light twins will often only get the plane to the scene of the accident on one engine remaining. Maybe it's rationalization bleedover from the fact that a boat with two engines makes it home with one out, or misapplication of what is understood from twin airliner ability to do better than light twins, or the legacy of television setting the stage by mass exposure to positive representations of light twins in those Sky King shows of yesteryear.

    From a reliability perspective, a twin has twice the opportunity that an engine or system elements serving an engine will fail compared to a single. It is counter-intuitive, but with the known poor one-engine performance of light twins, this requires that condition and upkeep of each engine in a light twin must produce reliability that is twice as good (unclear how to measure this) as a single engine aircraft in order to have parity between those aircraft.

    Aging light twins that fall into a lower price point can lure people to take them on who aren't planning to spend big bux aggressively upgrading and maintaining the aircraft. Some may rationalize that having two engines "covers" the circumstance where one engine quits, or worse yet makes it okay to begin a flight in spite of an engine that "has been acting up lately".

    Light twin pilots should resist thinking that their one engine out capabilities can produce the same outcome as a twin engine boat or modern airliner.

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  6. An old 336, fixed gear Skymaster, is not a good performer! The later 337 is a much better airplane.

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  7. Sad to see. I'm guessing the pilot in the videos is the is the same as the unfortunate victim in the accident?
    Condolences to family and friends!

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    Replies
    1. Very sad. I was enjoying watching him flying the Beaver around Bakersfield on YouTube. God-speed Sully!

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