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 >>>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdvXbkTZwyY

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

[Machinbird]

Not a good day for aviation.:ouch:
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/documents/2018/02/13/2018-02551/airworthiness-directives-textron-aviation-inc-airplanes

God speed to all involved though. Tragic.

[Raffles S.A.]

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


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8FytcikGqM

[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]

Speculating:

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


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1160x557/cessna_414_prop_ff51528b2b6d564e311c7b5f2f24c4c0d94bf5e4.png
Prop
Dashing about cam
Maybe 150 yards from fuselage.
Note broken 10-12 inch square pillar and large lump at window.

https://youtu.be/r8FytcikGqM?t=72

[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]

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.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1160x544/cessna_414_05_1_5c86db9f8f1e7d2b4c533c55349b40d9c481e173.png
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1160x544/cessna_414_05_2_d67fd74925eb7cadb2813dc3e051b669646b2f51.png
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1160x544/cessna_414_05_3_4fa0581782c6a4a859468fde2d4f1bef927b6fd3.png
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1160x544/cessna_414_05_4_a5f7ad6adc07516613b612e2a9470f5f8a89ebd3.png
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1160x544/cessna_414_05_5_152b0b10fd6a62e217fe5bd804bdfea64775737d.png
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-bursts-into-flames-midair-before-oc-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]

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.

[Airbubba]

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 ?

The FAA database shows:

Certificate: COMMERCIAL PILOT
Date of Issue: 6/4/2008

Ratings:
COMMERCIAL PILOT
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
AIRPLANE MULTIENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE
ROTORCRAFT-HELICOPTER
Limits: ENGLISH PROFICIENT.

[Machinbird]

Listening to the audio track of the accident, but not knowing whether the bang at the end was the collision with the ground or the inflight breakup, I am reminded of the sound of WW-2 fighters doing a high g pullup. There is a dramatic doppler drop just before the bang.
I am guessing that the bang is the sound of the breakup, and the dramatic drop in doppler corresponds to a high g pullup but at the moment we do not know the geometric relationship of the microphone to the aircraft's flight path.
I would expect that ATC radars and audio will have significant information as to what transpired in this accident.
This is looking more like a loss of control accident as others have suggested.

[Airbubba]

Air Safety Investigator Maja Smith examines the wreckage in these pictures released by the NTSB:


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1620x1080/46265004364_9d6b77eb83_o_large__6792cbf18f756d17816e09749a88 85984783261e.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1620x1080/46265007084_50db39f3be_o_large__b522b108a4f0d8e2ebf814be6f7d feb8b5378bb5.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1620x1080/46265007704_2e1d49021a_o_large__b68856d3aef9165c2a3e8ff7066a bf5e85db4199.jpg

[Katamarino]

Similarities with the Emiliano Sala incient ?


Twin vs Single
7000ft vs 2300ft
Single occupant vs dodgy passenger transport
Instrument rated vs not properly rated
Over land vs over water
Warm CA vs icy UK

I'd be tempted to ask what on earth you're smoking. The only similarity appears to be "an airplane crashed".

[RickNRoll]

nvm.............

[bafanguy]

Another video with sound:

https://video.nest.com/clip/64a943efd2854b6bbabf56d7b337d5ab.mp4

[keebird]

It's been many years since I flew turbocharged twin Cessnas but I do remember the importance of the "V-clamp AD" that required frequent inspections of the exhaust system. The AD came about after several accidents where the exhaust fittings had come loose, leaking hot exhaust gas and igniting a magnesium and avgas fueled fire which would burn right through the wing spar in no time.

[Raffles S.A.]

I just watched another video which mentioned that the pilot was a retired police officer, 75 years old, so it is possible that some medical event/pilot incapacitation took place.
The video link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKXyA6n6tL4

[treadigraph]

Listening to the video bafandguy posted, the first part sounds more like a single than a twin - bit like a big Extra diving in to begin a display?

[DaveReidUK]

It's been many years since I flew turbocharged twin Cessnas but I do remember the importance of the "V-clamp AD" that required frequent inspections of the exhaust system. The AD came about after several accidents where the exhaust fittings had come loose, leaking hot exhaust gas and igniting a magnesium and avgas fueled fire which would burn right through the wing spar in no time.

You would be very unlucky to have that happen to both engines/wings at the same time.

Though I guess having it happen even on one side means your luck has just run out ...

[thcrozier]

Yorba Linda plane crash: Pilot was carrying false credentials that ID'd him as ex-Chicago police officer
https://abc7.com/oc-plane-crash-pilots-false-credentials-idd-him-as-ex-cop/5121959/

[WHBM]

Pilot seems to own a restaurant in an obscure Nevada city

https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/local/carson-city-restauranteur-identified-as-pilot-in-yorba-linda-crash/

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@39.1656714,-119.7669567,3a,75y,61.94h,95.37t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1svR8WrHH96xc_hkRn035raA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2. ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DvR8WrHH96xc_hkRn035raA%26output%3 Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w %3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D9.031334%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D1 00!7i13312!8i6656

[AN2 Driver]

What exactly is obscure with Carson City? It is a well enough known place.

Apparently he did own another place before that in his resident city of Gardnerville NV which closed in 2014. Gardnerville is in close proximity to Carson City, the airport of Minden, where he was based is in between the two.

[Machinbird]

The small plane ascended to about 7,800 feet before it crashed about 10 minutes after taking off from the Fullerton Municipal Airport, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Maja Smith said.
The propeller noises on the two tapes, even after accounting for doppler effects, appear to indicate an RPM higher than red line for that type of engine. Considering that the aircraft was equipped with constant speed propellers, that would be remarkable, and indicative of an aircraft well in excess of its maximum design speed. The videos of the breakup indicate an extreme nose down state prior to the breakup.

Short of instrument failure or pilot incapacitation, this type of loss of control accident should not occur to a competent instrument pilot.

[Airbubba]

He changed his name according to his daughter:

Julia Ackley said her her father was known as Antonio or Tony Pastini but was born Jordan Isaacson and was an experienced pilot.

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/I-Just-Love-Him-More-Than-Anything-Woman-Mourns-Hero-Fathers-Loss-505334071.html (https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/I-Just-Love-Him-More-Than-Anything-Woman-Mourns-Hero-Fathers-Loss-505334071.html)

An alias and a fake badge? Hmmm... :confused:

[what next]

An alias and a fake badge? Hmmm... :confused:

I personally know a policeman (and this pilot supposedly was a former police officer) who had to change his name and move to a different place in order to protect himself and his family. Some of the guys they help put up in state care really seek revenge once they come out again... So there could be a good reason for this guy to change his identity.

[clark y]

In the video posted by bafanguy you can actually see the reflection of the inflight fire on the wet footpath to the right.

[Tarq57]

Anybody have an idea of what the freezing level might have been?

[jugofpropwash]

I personally know a policeman (and this pilot supposedly was a former police officer) who had to change his name and move to a different place in order to protect himself and his family. Some of the guys they help put up in state care really seek revenge once they come out again... So there could be a good reason for this guy to change his identity.

Yeah, the thought of witness protection occurred to me, too. Surely the daughter would know if he'd served on the force under the other name?

[ironbutt57]

Twin vs Single
7000ft vs 2300ft
Single occupant vs dodgy passenger transport
Instrument rated vs not properly rated
Over land vs over water
Warm CA vs icy UK

I'd be tempted to ask what on earth you're smoking. The only similarity appears to be "an airplane crashed".

may have been alluding to inflight loss of control, possibly weather a factor....

[ironbutt57]

It's been many years since I flew turbocharged twin Cessnas but I do remember the importance of the "V-clamp AD" that required frequent inspections of the exhaust system. The AD came about after several accidents where the exhaust fittings had come loose, leaking hot exhaust gas and igniting a magnesium and avgas fueled fire which would burn right through the wing spar in no time.

ahhhh yes the infamous "multi-segment V-band clamps", one tried to burn me down in a Navajo, fortunately it didnt have time to start a fire as it happened apparently very late in the flight...

[Hadley Rille]

The pilot had some previous
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/pilot-deadly-california-house-crash-disciplined-60953339
"The pilot whose plane broke apart and crashed into a Southern California home, killing five people, was disciplined for dangerous flying years earlier, it was reported Friday..."

[Airbubba]

Narrative of the NTSB Preliminary Report:

Location: Yorba Linda, CA Accident Number: WPR19FA079 Date & Time: 02/03/2019, 1345 PST Registration: N414RS

Aircraft: Cessna 414 Injuries: 5 Fatal, 2 Serious Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal

On February 3, 2019, at 1345 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 414, N414RS, experienced an inflight breakup over Yorba Linda, California, about 11 miles west of the departure airport Fullerton Municipal Airport (FUL), Fullerton, California. The pilot and four individuals on the ground sustained fatal injuries, two individuals on the ground sustained serious injuries and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by the private pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 cross-country personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed over the accident location, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed at 1339, with a planned destination of Minden-Tahoe Airport (MEV), Minden, Nevada.

Radar and audio communications data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that after departing FUL, the pilot initiated a climbing left turn to the east. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) existed at the departure airport, however, preliminary information indicated that the weather transitioned to instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with precipitation, microburst and rain showers over the accident area. During the takeoff clearance, the FUL tower air traffic controller cautioned the pilot regarding deteriorating weather, about 4 miles east of FUL. Radar data showed that 5 1/2 minutes after takeoff, the airplane had climbed to an altitude of about 7,800 ft above ground level before it started a rapid descending right turn and subsequently impacted the ground.

Numerous witnesses who were located near the accident site, saw the airplane exit the clouds at a high rate of descent before parts of the airplane started to break off. One witness reported that he, "observed an aircraft emerge from the overcast layer on a northwesterly heading with a nose down pitch of approximately 60 degrees, pointed directly at my location with no discernable movement. It remained in that attitude for approximately 4 to 5 seconds before initiating a high-speed dive recovery. Approaching the bottom of the recovery the aircraft began to roll to its right. As it did, the left horizontal stabilizer departed the aircraft, immediately followed by the remainder of the empennage. The left wing then appeared to shear off just outside of the number one (left) engine igniting the left wing. After which, the aircraft disappeared behind the hill to the northeast of the observed location, trailing flames behind it. The sound of an explosion and large plume of black smoke immediately followed."

Examination of the accident site revealed that the wreckage debris was scattered throughout a neighborhood area about 1,000 ft long and 800 ft wide on a south-to-north orientation. At the far south parameter of the debris field were tail sections. The far north area contained the left engine, and left propeller and the fuselage. About 700 ft north-east from the first recovered piece of debris, the right engine and the right propeller impacted an asphalt road, and came to rest in a nearby front yard. The left wing was found about 716 ft north of the first recovered piece of debris, about 140 ft south-west of a burned house. Within the house, fragments of the outboard right wing (which also contained the fuel tank) were located. The fuselage with the attached right inboard wing, along with the left propeller and left engine were located about 310 ft downhill from the burned house on a heading of 310°.

The wreckage was recovered and moved to a secure location for future examination.

https://t.co/ODMm2QyG2w

[cavuman1]

Los Angeles Times article concerning the pilot's duplicitous life:

Pilot's Mysterious Double Life (https://www.gazettextra.com/news/nation_world/pilot-lived-a-mysterious-double-life-then-a-plane-crash/article_b3ec55c1-bbfc-5393-a00e-97cf77e534ad.html)

- Ed