This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Wednesday 20 April 2022 |
| Time: | 12:26 |
| Type: |  Cessna 337 Super Skymaster |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N143JB |
| MSN: | 337-0102 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1965 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Whiteman Airport (KWHP/WHP), Sylmar, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Los Angeles-Whiteman Airport, CA (WHP/KWHP) |
| Los Angeles-Whiteman Airport, CA (WHP/KWHP) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On April 20, 2022, at 1226 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 337, N143JB, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Sylmar, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported to the tower controller that he was not able to retract the airplane’s landing gear and requested to circle the airport at 2,500 ft. The airplane climbed to and remained at about 2,000 ft for about 2 minutes before entering a descent that continued until ground contact. Witnesses saw the airplane descending in a steep, nose-down attitude, and a surveillance video showed the airplane rotating in a nose-down attitude as it collided with terrain.
Examination of the airframe and engines revealed no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Toxicology testing of the pilot revealed 65 (mg/dL, mg/hg) ethanol in blood, 133 (mg/dL, mg/hg) ethanol in urine, and 10 (mg/dL, mg/hg) glucose in vitreous fluid. The ethanol production was not attributed to putrefaction. Based on the levels found and their distribution, it is likely that the pilot’s blood ethanol concentrations were around 0.12 gm/dL.
It is likely that, while trying to troubleshoot the landing gear issue, the pilot allowed the airplane to slow and exceed its critical angle of attack. The airplane subsequently entered a spin from which the pilot was not able to recover. Given the levels of ethanol found in toxicology testing, the pilot would have likely experienced degradation of judgment, reasoning, and coordination that would have affected his ability to safely manage the airplane, and it is likely that his impairment due to alcohol consumption contributed to his loss of control.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s loss of airplane control while troubleshooting a landing gear issue, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin at an altitude too low to recover. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment from alcohol consumption.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.dailynews.com/2022/04/20/1-killed-in-sylmar-plane-crash-along-210-freeway/
https://abc7.com/plane-crash-sylmar-210-freeway-los-angeles/11773732/
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104976
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=143JB
https://flightaware.com/photos/view/13404831-deb7b1c52bcf1b987b99f1bb4420e27a494fe0d8/aircrafttype/C337
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a0ae9f&lat=34.286&lon=-118.441&zoom=13.0&showTrace=2022-04-20
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51688079243_3377178bbb_h.jpg (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Apr-2022 20:43 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 20-Apr-2022 22:15 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Apr-2022 22:39 | RobertMB | Updated [Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Apr-2022 00:27 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 21-Apr-2022 09:42 | A.J.Scholten | Updated [Source] |
| 28-Nov-2023 18:22 | rvargast | Updated [Source] |
| 17-May-2024 17:50 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation