Thursday, August 18, 2022

Raytheon 390 Premier I, N332CM: Incident occurred August 16, 2022 at Marfa Municipal Airport (KMRF), Presidio County, Texas

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Lubbock, Texas

Aircraft landed, veered off runway and gear collapsed. 

Apex Aero LLC


Date: 16-AUG-22
Time: 19:00:00Z
Regis#: N332CM
Aircraft Make: RAYTHEON
Aircraft Model: 390
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: UNKNOWN
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 91
City: MARFA
State: TEXAS

Cessna 152, N49931 and Cessna 340A, N740WJ: Fatal accident occurred August 18, 2022 near Watsonville Municipal Airport (KWVI), Santa Cruz County, California



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.

Investigator In Charge (IIC): Salazar, Fabian

The National Transportation Safety Board travelled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:
Michael Schaadt and Drew Connely; Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; San Jose, California 
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas
Airport Director Watsonville Municipal Airport (KWVI)

Monterey Bay Aviation Inc


ALM Holding LLC


Location: Watsonville, California
Accident Number: WPR22FA309
Date and Time: August 18, 2022, 14:55 Local
Registration: N49931 (A2); N740WJ (A3)
Aircraft: Cessna 152 (A2); Cessna 340A (A3) 
Injuries: 1 Fatal (A2); 2 Fatal (A3)
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal (A2); Part 91: General aviation - Personal (A3)

On August 18, 2022, about 1455 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N49931, and a Cessna 340, N740WJ, were involved in a midair collision near Watsonville, California. Both airplanes were destroyed. The pilot and passenger of N740WJ and the pilot of N49931 were fatally injured. Both aircraft were operated as Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flights.

According to recorded automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data and recorded common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) communications, the Cessna 152 was in the traffic pattern at Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI) and had completed four touch-and-go landings. The Cessna 340 was northeast of WVI when the pilot reported that he was 10 miles out and planned to descend for a straight in approach to runway 20. About one minute later, the pilot of the Cessna 152 reported that he was on the crosswind leg, then shortly after reported that he was on the downwind leg for runway 20. The pilot of the Cessna 340 reported that he was 3 miles out and straight in for runway 20. Shortly after, the Cessna 340 pilot reported he was 1 mile out and straight in for the runway. He further stated that he was looking for traffic on left base. The Cessna 152 pilot reported that he did see the Cessna 340 and that it was behind him. The Cessna 152 pilot further stated that he was going to go around, “because you are coming up on me pretty quick.”

Multiple witnesses reported hearing the two pilots communicating over the CTAF, and others heard and observed the two airplanes collide. One witness stated that he was flying overhead of the airport at 1,300 ft mean seal level (msl) when he heard the two pilots on the CTAF. He focused his attention on the final approach path and observed the Cessna 340 “on the Cessna 152’s tail.” The Cessna 340 then banked to the right and its left wing struck the Cessna 152. He then observed both airplanes descend to the ground. Another witness who was in her office took a photo of the two airplanes as they approached the airport. The Cessna 340 appeared to be in a steep right bank and the Cessna 152 appeared to be in a slight nose-low attitude.

The Cessna 152 came to rest on the airport property about 1,200 feet northeast of the approach end of runway 20. The left wing, from the strut outboard, separated from the airplane and came to rest about 500 feet northeast of the main wreckage. The left horizontal stabilizer and elevator separated and came to rest about 380 feet northeast of the main wreckage. Two small sections of the Cessna 340’s left tip tank was located near the Cessna 152 wreckage.

The Cessna 340 came to rest in a hangar located on the southeast side of the airport. All major components of the Cessna 340 were located in the debris area.

Both aircraft were recovered and secured in a storage facility pending further examination.




Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information (A2)

Aircraft Make: Cessna
Registration: N49931
Model/Series: 152
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator: 
Operating Certificate(s) Held: Pilot school (141)
Operator Designator Code:

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information (A3)

Aircraft Make: Cessna 
Registration: N740WJ
Model/Series: 340A
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built:
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: 
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation: KWVI,162 ft msl 
Observation Time: 14:53 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles 
Temperature/Dew Point: 21°C /13°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear 
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 9 knots / , 210°
Lowest Ceiling: None
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 29.96 inches Hg 
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point:
Destination:

Wreckage and Impact Information (A2)

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal 
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: 
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Fatal 
Latitude, Longitude: 36.939824,-121.78746 (est)

Wreckage and Impact Information (A3)

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries: 1 Fatal
Aircraft Fire: On-ground
Ground Injuries: 
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 36.939824,-121.78746 (est)

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.

N740WJ:  Aircraft on short final collided with N49931, impacted hangar damaging N964WF which was parked inside and there was a post crash fire. 

Date: 18-AUG-22
Time: 21:58:00Z
Regis#: N740WJ
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 340
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Total Fatal: 2
Flight Crew: 1 Fatal 
Pax: 1 Fatal  
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: APPROACH (APR)
Operation: 91
City: WATSONVILLE
State: CALIFORNIA

N49931: Aircraft on short final collided with N740WJ.

Date: 18-AUG-22
Time: 21:58:00Z
Regis#: N49931
Aircraft Make: CESSNA
Aircraft Model: 152
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Total Fatal: 1
Flight Crew: 1 Fatal
Pax: 0
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: APPROACH (APR)
Operation: 91
City: WATSONVILLE
State: CALIFORNIA

Nannette Zoe Plett-Kruppa, 67
~

Carl J. Kruppa, 75
~

Stuart Camenson, 32
~


Winton, California - Carl J. Kruppa, 75, passed away unexpectedly on August 18, 2022, with his dear wife Nannette Plett-Kruppa and their beloved dog Ebony.

Carl was blessed with a large and loving family. He and his wife Nan adventured together through life beginning in 2008. They loved visiting and spending time with their combined 8 children and 16 grandchildren. Carl was a loving Husband, Father, and Papa that meant the world to his family. He always made them a priority.

Carl was involved with the Future Farmers of America, 4H, Flying Samaritans, and the Westside Trapshooting League. Carl was an adventurous soul who worked hard and had the ambition to put in the extra time and effort to excel. He was passionate about helping others and always had time to answer a question or solve a problem. He gave his time and love generously, and provided encouragement and fatherly advice. He will be missed dearly by his beloved family and friends.

Carl passed with his wife Nannette. He was preceded in death by his parents Chester and Eudora Kruppa, and wife Ilene Kruppa. He is survived by his children, Stephanie Valsted (Paul), Christiana Laughlin (Dana), Elijah Kruppa, and Jedidiah Kruppa (Jessica); and his grandchildren, Arin Valsted, Brenna Valsted, Arik Valsted, Jaden Laughlin, Jax Laughlin, and Emerson Carl Kruppa.

A memorial service will be held at Crossroads Church in Turlock on Saturday, August 27th, 2022, at 2:00 pm. Memorials may be made in Carl's honor to the Atwater Future Farmers of America, PO Box 835, Atwater, CA 95301.


Stuart Camenson
 
‘Possum Stu’ 



WATSONVILLE, California (KION-TV)- Two planes collided at the Watsonville Municipal Airport Thursday, leaving three people and a dog dead.

Stuart Camenson, 32, was piloting a Cessna 152 while practicing touch-downs and takeoffs on the runway at the airport, according to his family. " He had already successfully completed four that day and was about to complete his 5th when he was hit by the other plane," said his parents, Steve and Lori Camenson.

Known as "Possum Stu" by friends, he received his pilot's license in June of 2020. He had begun his pilot training in 2017, loved flying, and would do it often, said his family.

Stuart will forever hold a very dear place in our hearts.  We feel his loss tremendously and will never stop loving, remembering, and feeling his presence.  Stuart’s goofy spirit and fun nature brought so much joy into our lives and the lives of everyone he met.  Stuart’s zest for life led him down countless paths where he explored passions and talents, improving himself and enriching the lives of those around him every day.  He approached everything and everyone with wholehearted love and thoughtfulness.  He was a once in a lifetime son, brother, and friend.  His loss will be deeply felt by an immense community of people who loved him and were loved by him. -Camenson Family

Stuart graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2016 with bachelor's degrees in chemistry, mathematics, and earth science. During his senior year at UCSC, he began working in the IT department at the college.

The University of California Santa Cruz confirmed with KION that Camenson was employed by the university. He is listed as an Information Technology Specialist in the university directory.

We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and mourn the loss of Stuart Camenson, Carl Kruppa and Nannette Plett-Kruppa. Stuart graduated from UC Santa Cruz with degrees in chemistry and Earth sciences and went on to work in our Division of Information Technology as an information systems analyst. Our thoughts are with their family and friends during this difficult time. -UC Santa Cruz

Stuart was a "renaissance man" that could do it all. He held all sorts of interests and whether it was "flying, printmaking, jewelry making, painting, singing, dancing, acting, playing many instruments (guitar, banjo, saxophone, clarinet, piano, mandolin), dj-ing, yoga, meditation, surfing, scuba diving, beer making, cooking and baking, reading, traveling, hiking/camping," he wanted to learn and do it all, said his family.

"Stuart was extremely passionate, in his relationships and his interests. He loved people dearly, and anyone he met reciprocated the feeling," said the Camenson family. "People were drawn to his goofy spirit and fun nature. He was kind to everyone and would gladly help anyone in need. He was a lifelong learner and never stopped gaining new interests and trying new things.

Stuart leaves behind his parents, Steve Camenson and Lori Camenson, sisters, Sarah Camenson and Jenna Camenson, and countless friends that "shared a family love."



A Bay Area family was mourning the death of their 32-year-old son, an energetic and avid flyer who died in a midair plane collision at Watsonville Municipal Airport in Santa Cruz County.

Stuart Camenson was practicing takeoffs and landings on the runway at the airport on August 18, the day of the crash. He had been working on getting additional flight experience and certificates, his parents, Lori and Steve Camenson, said.

The Santa Cruz resident was about to complete his fifth round in a Cessna 152 just moments before he was hit by another small plane making its final approach into the airport as well, a Cessna 340A.

Both occupants in the second plane, Carl Kruppa, 75, and Nannette Plett-Kruppa, 67, died at the scene. Kruppa appeared to be the co-owner of Custom Farm Services in Winton, a fourth-generation family owned management operation in Merced County. The family farm specializes in almonds, sweet potatoes, corn silage, forage crops, and black-eyed beans, according to its website.

Family members of the couple were not immediately available for an interview, but an associate director of the sustainable agricultural research and education program at UC Davis said that Kruppa “certainly was a pioneer trying new and unusual practices to improve conditions in his almond orchards.”

Spokespersons for the Merced County Farm Bureau said they were saddened by the tragic incident, and expressed their thoughts and prayers for their family.

Camenson, described by his family as a “renaissance man who could do it all,” was a passionate pilot who loved flying and would often take day trips over Santa Cruz, particularly to see the sunset.

Born in Alamo on August 9, 1990, Camenson attended San Ramon Valley High School and graduated in 2009. He then moved to Santa Cruz, where he earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz in chemistry, mathematics, and Earth science, his family said.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and mourn the loss of Stuart Camenson, Carl Kruppa and Nannette Plett-Kruppa,” said Scott Hernandez-Jason, a communications spokesperson for the university. “Our thoughts are with their family and friends during this difficult time.”

Camenson had developed an early interest in planes that was layered in to his overall demeanor toward life, his family said. He loved learning — and as he grew older, the list of his interests only seemed to grow, from jewelry making to painting to singing to scuba diving and playing instruments.

He played the guitar, banjo, saxophone, clarinet, piano, mandolin and DJd too, his family said.

“People were drawn to his goofy spirit and fun nature,” his family said. “Stuart was extremely passionate, in his relationships and his interests. He loved people dearly.”

In addition to his parents, Lori and Steve Camenson of Alamo, he is survived by his sisters, Sarah Camenson and Jenna Camenson.








WATSONVILLE, California - The coroner on Monday released the identities of the three people killed after two small planes collided while trying to land in Watsonville.

According to Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner Jim Hart, the victims killed in Thursday's crash were 75-year-old Carl Kruppa of Winton, 67-year-old Nannette Plett-Kruppa of Winton, and 32-year-old Stuart Camenson of Santa Cruz. A dog also died in the crash.

There were two people and a dog aboard a Cessna 340A and only a pilot aboard a Cessna 152 during the crash at Watsonville Municipal Airport, National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator Fabian Salazar said.

"We have what appears to be one aircraft operating in a traffic pattern and one aircraft coming into the airport to land," Salazar said.

The Cessna 152 was registered to Monterey Bay Aviation Inc., according to FAA records. The aircraft was listed for rent by the hour on the website of United Flight Services, a company based at the airport that provides flight instruction and aircraft rentals and maintenance.

NTSB investigators arrive on scene Friday after a deadly mid-air plane collision at the Watsonville airport, where at least two people died.

The Cessna 340A was registered to ALM Holding LLC., a company based in Winton.

Salazar said investigators were still collecting evidence and will talk to witnesses. A preliminary report on the fatal collision from the NTSB is expected in two weeks, he said.

The city-owned airport does not have a control tower to direct aircraft landing and taking off.

Salazar said pilots that use airports with no control towers have a common traffic advisory frequency they use to communicate.

"We are working to get the radio communications that were occurring on that day," he said.




















1:30 p.m. Update: Investigators seek radio traffic 

There were two people and a dog aboard a Cessna 340A and only the pilot aboard a Cessna 152 during the crash, National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator Fabian Salazar said. The dog and all three people were killed.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB are investigating, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office said.

“We have what appears to be one aircraft operating in a traffic pattern and one aircraft coming into the airport to land,” Salazar said.

Salazar said investigators were still collecting evidence and will talk to witnesses. A preliminary report on the fatal collision from the NTSB is expected in two weeks, he said.

"We are working to get the radio communications that were occurring on that day," he said.

Update: Death toll at 3 after crash

Three people were killed after two small planes collided in Northern California while trying to land at a rural airport, authorities said Friday.

The names of those killed after their planes crashed Thursday at the Watsonville Municipal Airport will be released once their families have been notified, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Original story:

WATSONVILLE — Multiple fatalities have been reported after two planes collided in Watsonville while trying to land at a local airport, officials said Thursday. At least two of the three occupants were killed, officials said.

The collision occurred at Watsonville Municipal Airport shortly before 3 p.m., according to a tweet from the city of Watsonville. The city-owned airport does not have a control tower to direct aircraft landing and taking off.

There were two people aboard a Cessna 340 and only the pilot aboard a Cessna 152 during the crash, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It was not immediately clear whether any of them survived.

The pilots were on their final approaches to the airport when the collision occurred, the FAA said in a statement. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

Multiple fatalities have been reported after two planes collided  while trying to land at Watsonville Municipal Airport shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday.

No one on the ground was injured.

Photos and videos from the scene posted on social media showed the wreckage of one small plane in a grassy field by the airport. A photo from the city of Watsonville showed damage to a small building at the airport, with firefighters on the scene.

A second plane crashed in a neighborhood near the airport, at Buena Vista Drive and Calabasas Road, KRON4 reported, citing a law enforcement official.

Witnesses told the East Bay Times newspaper they saw two airplanes collide about 200 feet in the air.

Franky Herrera of Watsonville told the paper he was driving past the airport when he saw a twin-engine plane bank hard to the right and hit the wing of a smaller, single-engine aircraft.

“The smaller plane just spiraled down and crashed right here,” said Herrera, 26, an off-duty law enforcement officer. He said the twin-engine plane continued on, but “it was struggling,” and then he saw flames at the other side of the airport, where initial reports indicated the aircraft had struck a hangar.

Watsonville is about 31 miles north of Salinas.

The airport has four runways and is home to more than 300 aircraft, according to its website. It handles more than 55,000 operations a year and is used often for recreational planes and agriculture businesses. The airport accounts for about 40% of all general aviation activities in the Monterey Bay area, according to the City of Watsonville’s website.

Diamond DA-42 Diamond Star, N48DS: Incident occurred August 17, 2022 at Gulf Shores International Airport (KJKA), Alabama

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Alabama and NW Florida

Aircraft on departure, rear door opened damaging hinge mechanism.  

Union Springs Aircraft LLC


Date: 17-AUG-22
Time: 18:44:00Z
Regis#: N48DS
Aircraft Make: DIAMOND
Aircraft Model: DA42
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: TAKEOFF (TOF)
Operation: 91
City: GULF SHORES
State: ALABAMA

Piper PA-24-250, N5253P: Incident occurred August 12, 2022 in Kearney, Buffalo County, Nebraska

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Lincoln, Nebraska 

Aircraft experienced engine issues and landed on a road. 

Whitten Ranch Inc
Time: 20:57:00Z
Regis#: N5253P
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: PA24
Event Type: INCIDENT
Highest Injury: NONE
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: PERSONAL
Flight Phase: EN ROUTE (ENR)
Operation: 91
City: KEARNEY
State: NEBRASKA