Small plane crashes into house in California 1 + 4 fatalities

[Raffles S.A.]

Various media reporting a small plane, possibly Cessna 414 crashed into a house in California killing the pilot and 4 occupants of the house.
It appears that the plane broke up in the air. Dashcam view >>>

You Tube

Please merge if there is already a topic, I couldn't see one.

[Machinbird]

Not a good day for aviation.
Dash cam video shows a sudden trail of black smoke and fire curving to the right? and down.
Other videos show an engine lying on a driveway after apparently colliding with the front of a different house than the burned out one where the fuselage and other engine were found.

Speculating: Not too many ways for this to have happened, starting from low probability to high probability.

• Over G
• Flutter
• Loss of a propeller blade causing wing structural over stress and failure.

If the aircraft was curving to the right in the video, then most likely the starboard engine seen on the driveway.

[tsgas]

The aircraft was reported to be a C 414 "A" as opposed to a C 414. .

[bafanguy]

Here's a fleeting glimpse:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1092205308338876416

[Raffles S.A.]

Looks like low and heavy clouds.

[WHBM]

News says it was flown by a Lieutenant from a local police force. Seems a surprising aircraft to be flown by same.

Reported to have climbed to 7,000ft from Fullerton into IMC. Weather raining heavily and low cloud.

Similarities with the Emiliano Sala incient ?

[lomapaseo]

Can we tell from the video or other means whether the initial breakup started above or below the clouds

[Raffles S.A.]

ASN reporting N414RS https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=221520

[The Ancient Geek]

My best guess is loss of control in cloud followed by pulling excessive G trying to avoid the ground when he popped out of cloud at low level.
Was the pilot instument rated and current ?

[Zaphod Beblebrox]

I would also agree on an inflight break up / loss of control accident. A video from a security camera, (a posting above), shows smoke coming from something other than the fuselage. the aircraft is tumbling in its fall. The pictures on the ground do not show the left wing as being attached. Very bad news.

[Yancey Slide]

One hopes it wasn't a wing spar.

https://www.federalregister.gov/docu...-inc-airplanes

God speed to all involved though. Tragic.

[Raffles S.A.]

You can see the fuselage largely intact minus both wings...

You Tube

[lomapaseo]

From the video

One badly bent prop blade one in good shape and one ???

RH side fuselage near severed.at cockpit

Time will tell

[jimjim1]

Originally Posted by Machinbird

Speculating:

• Loss of a propeller blade causing wing structural over stress and failure.

Prop
Dashing about cam
Maybe 150 yards from fuselage.
Note broken 10-12 inch square pillar and large lump at window.

You Tube

[UKExpat]

The sound from the security camera was very telling - as if going into a high speed dive - as above I suspect over G’d and structural failure.

Awful.

[jimjim1]

Originally Posted by lomapaseo

Can we tell from the video or other means whether the initial breakup started above or below the clouds

Starts from nothing visible and all images are from the same second.






Images from -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16&v=hdvXbkTZwyY

[Airbubba]

Another dashcam video showing the plane in flames before impact:

https://abc7.com/dashcam-video-plane...crash/5120422/

[Raffles S.A.]

It's clear from the pictures and distribution of the wreckage that both wings separated from the fuselage well before ground contact, and that one wing struck the house which was burned.

[Carbon Bootprint]

Not implying anything in particular, but I found a grim bit of similarity in the video footage between this and the Chalks Air Mallard crash in Miami back in '05.

Most apparently in loss of wing(s). Cause remains to be determined, of course. RIP and condolences to all close to this.

[Machinbird]

Originally Posted by Raffles S.A.

It's clear from the pictures and distribution of the wreckage that both wings separated from the fuselage well before ground contact, and that one wing struck the house which was burned.

Looks like the starboard wing with engine attached folded inboard of the engine by pivoting about the upper wing skin causing propeller gashes in the cockpit, and then tore away, taking with it a lot of upper wing skin. I haven’t seen enough of the port side of the fuselage to evaluate. Very definitely looking like over g failure now due to apparent symmetry of damage. Frequently the first wing to fail will impact the other wing as the fuselage is suddenly rolled into the failed wing.