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Crash of a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan off Eureka

Date & Time: Feb 6, 2020 at 0656 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N24MG
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Sacramento – Eureka
MSN:
208B-0850
YOM:
2000
Flight number:
BXR1966
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
10156
Captain / Total hours on type:
1282.00
Aircraft flight hours:
19184
Circumstances:
While the pilot was on a visual approach to the airport and descending over water on the left base leg, about 100 ft above the water's surface, the airplane entered instrument meteorological conditions with no forward visibility. The pilot looked outside his left window to gauge the airplane's altitude and saw "black waves of water approaching extremely rapidly." He tried to pull back on the yoke to initiate a climb, but the nosewheel contacted the water. Subsequently, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted in the water. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable cause:
The pilot's delayed response to initiate a go-around during a night visual approach over water after the airplane entered instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of forward visibility and subsequent impact with the water.
Final Report:

Crash of a Learjet 25D in Sacramento

Date & Time: Oct 26, 2005 at 1825 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N888DV
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Sacramento - Sacramento
MSN:
25-370
YOM:
1984
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
17500
Captain / Total hours on type:
1100.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
20000
Copilot / Total hours on type:
70
Circumstances:
The crew landed with the landing gear in the retracted position. While the airplane was on the base leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot heard a helicopter pilot make a transmission over the common radio frequency. As he completed the before landing checklist the pilot searched for the helicopter that he heard over the radio. During the landing flare he realized something was amiss and looked down at the instrument panel. He noticed that the landing gear lights were illuminated red. Just prior to contacting the runway surface he reached for the landing gear handle and manipulated it in the down position. The airplane made a smooth touchdown with the landing gear in the retracted position. The pilot stated that he did not make the proper check for the gear extension due to the timing of the helicopter distraction. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine, stating that the accident was the result of pilot error.
Probable cause:
The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear and to verify they were in the down and locked position prior to touchdown. A related factor was his diverted attention.
Final Report:

Crash of a Cessna 402C in Sacramento

Date & Time: Jan 23, 2003 at 2030 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N6814A
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Ukiah – Sacramento
MSN:
402C-0645
YOM:
1982
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
3400
Captain / Total hours on type:
350.00
Aircraft flight hours:
13817
Circumstances:
The airplane collided with obstructions following a loss of power in one engine during a missed approach. Following the collision sequence the airplane came to rest upright about 500 feet from the approach end of the runway and was destroyed in a post-impact ground fire. The pilot told a responding sheriff's deputy and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that he made the ILS approach to land and initiated a missed approach. When he added power, the left engine sputtered and the airplane veered to the left. He activated the fuel boost pump, but the airplane contacted obstructions and crashed. The responding sheriff's deputy also observed the accident. He heard an engine of an airplane making unusual sounds. The engine "seemed to get quiet and then revved higher as if to climb." He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a series of blue flashes and then an orange fireball. The deputy reported that there was a dense fog in the area at the time. At the time of the accident, the airport's weather conditions were reported as 100 feet overcast and 1/4-mile visibility in fog. The landing minimums for the ILS approach are 200 feet and 1/2-mile. According to the operator's records, when the airplane departed from Ukiah, its gross takeoff weight was about 5,909 pounds. The pilot operating handbook (POH) for the airplane lists the following items in the single engine go around checklist: 1) Throttle full forward; 2) wing flaps up; 3) when positive climb rate achieved, gear up; 4) ensure the inoperative engine is feathered. For a gross weight of 5,900 pounds, and the existing atmospheric conditions, the single engine climb performance chart shows an expected positive rate of climb of 500 feet per minute if the airplane was configured correctly. The chart also lists the following subtractions from that performance for the listed condition: 1) -400 fpm for wind milling inoperative engine; 2) -350 feet for landing gear down; 3) -200 fpm for flaps extended to 15 degrees. Examination of the wreckage disclosed that neither engine's propeller was feathered, the landing gear was down and the flaps were extended to 10 degrees. Without the airplane configured correctly for the single engine missed approach, the net climb performance would be a negative 400 feet per minute. There were no discrepancies noted with the airframe examination. The engine examination revealed no mechanical anomalies with either engine that would have precluded normal operation. 14 CFR 135.224 states that a pilot cannot initiate an approach if the weather conditions are below landing minimums if the approach is started outside of the final approach fix. The pilot can continue the landing if they are already established on the approach and the airport goes below landing minimums. According to the operator's FAA approved operating specifications, the operator had not been approved for lower than standard landing minimums.
Probable cause:
Loss of engine power in the left engine for undetermined reasons. Also causal was the pilot's failure to correctly configure the airplane for a single engine missed approach, which resulted in a negative climb performance. A factor was the pilot's decision to initiate the approach when the weather conditions were below the published approach minimums.
Final Report:

Crash of a Douglas DC-8-71F in Sacramento: 3 killed

Date & Time: Feb 16, 2000 at 1952 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
N8079U
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Sacramento - Dayton
MSN:
45947
YOM:
1968
Flight number:
EB017
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Captain / Total flying hours:
13329
Captain / Total hours on type:
2128.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
4511
Copilot / Total hours on type:
2080
Aircraft flight hours:
84447
Aircraft flight cycles:
33395
Circumstances:
On February 16, 2000, about 1951 Pacific standard time, Emery Worldwide Airlines, Inc., (Emery) flight 17, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71F (DC-8), N8079U, crashed in an automobile salvage yard shortly after takeoff, while attempting to return to Sacramento Mather Airport (MHR), Rancho Cordova, California, for an emergency landing. Emery flight 17 was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 as a cargo flight from MHR to James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY), Dayton, Ohio. The flight departed MHR about 1949, with two pilots and a flight engineer on board. The three flight crew members were killed, and the airplane was destroyed. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan.
Probable cause:
A loss of pitch control resulting from the disconnection of the right elevator control tab. The
disconnection was caused by the failure to properly secure and inspect the attachment bolt.
Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing B-52G-80-BW Stratofortress at Mather AFB: 9 killed

Date & Time: Dec 16, 1982
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
57-6482
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Mather - Mather
MSN:
464187
YOM:
1957
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a local training flight at Sacramento-Mather AFB, consisting in a Minimum Interval Takeoff and Landing (MITO) mission. The crew started the takeoff procedure 10 seconds after a first USAF B-52 that departed the same runway. After liftoff, during initial climb, the airplane encountered wake turbulences. The pilot-in-command decided to reduce the engine power but his reaction was excessive, causing all eight engines to flame out. Due to a loss of speed, the aircraft stalled and struck the ground. It exploded on impact and debris were found on a 400 yards distance. All nine crew members were killed.
Crew:
Maj James Henry York, pilot,
Cpt Lyle Allen Brunner, instructor,
Cpt Dennis Earl Davis, electronic warfare instructor,
M/Sgt Jere E. LeFever, gunner,
2nd Lt Scott A. Semmel, student copilot,
2nd Lt Peter M. Riley, student copilot,
2nd Lt Richard P. Robeson, student navigator,
2nd Lt Benjamin C. Berndt, student navigator,
2nd Lt Daniel N. Bader, student navigator.

Crash of a Boeing B-52F-70-BW Stratofortress near Yuba City

Date & Time: Mar 14, 1961 at 1103 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
57-0166
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Mather - Mather
MSN:
464155
YOM:
1957
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The crew was engaged in a sortie from Mather AFB, Sacramento. En route, the failure of the cabin pressurization system caused by a window crack forced the crew to make an emergency descent. The pilot informed ground about his situation and elected to divert to the nearest airport when all crew members decided to abandon the airplane that crashed in an uninhabited area located 15 miles west of Yuba City. The airplane was totally destroyed and all eight crew members were rescued, four of them were injured.
Probable cause:
Failure of the pressurization system caused by a window crack.

Crash of a Curtiss C-46D-15-CU Commando in Santa Clarita

Date & Time: Sep 20, 1954
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
44-78035
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Burbank - Mather
MSN:
33431
YOM:
1945
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
17
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
An engine caught fire in flight. All 20 occupants decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in Santa Clarita. All 20 occupants were found uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
Engine fire in flight.

Crash of a North American B-25J-30-NC Mitchell in Mather AFB: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 19, 1952 at 1400 LT
Operator:
Registration:
44-86856
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Mather - Mather
MSN:
108-47510
YOM:
1944
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Mather AFB, while in initial climb, the crew informed ground about an engine failure and elected to return for an emergency landing. The pilot-in-command completed a 180 turn to reach the approach path when, on final approach, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and crashed in a crowded guard house at Mather Air Force base and exploded, turning the building into a "flaming matchbox." While all three crew members were injured, six people in the building were killed while 61 others were injured. All of them were guard house prisoners. They returned from lunch to the one-room building just in time to be caught in a fiery trap.
Crew:
2nd Lt Peter A. Keck, pilot,
Lt Robert C. Grout, copilot,
T/Sgt Robert Harrah.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of a Beechcraft F-2 near Ashland: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 6, 1942 at 1100 LT
Type of aircraft:
Operator:
Registration:
40-686
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Site:
Schedule:
Gray - Sacramento
MSN:
344
YOM:
1940
Location:
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane departed Gray Army Airfield in Fort Lewis on a liaison flight to the Sacramento Air Depot, carrying two passengers and one pilot. While cruising at an altitude of 4,000 feet south of Medford, the pilot reported poor weather conditions with freezing rain. Shortly later, the airplane impacted the slope of a mountain located near Pilot Rock, some 15 miles southeast of Ashland. As the airplane failed to arrive at destination, SAR operations were initiated but the wreckage was finally found by a local resident 8 June 1942. All three occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the visibility was poor due to thick fog with freezing rain and snow falls.
Crew:
1st Lt Raymond A. Stockwell, pilot,
Passengers:
T/Sgt Randolph Jones,
T/Sgt Paul W. Stone.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.