Lockheed C-130A accident near Pearblossom, CA
On August 13, 1994, a Lockheed C-130A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Pearblossom, CA. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 13, 1994
- Place
- Pearblossom, CA
- Aircraft
- Lockheed C-130A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.389°N, 117.741°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001206X02066
Official records · LAX94FA323
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 13, 1994, at 1331 Pacific daylight time, a civilian Lockheed C-130A, N135FF, operating as Tanker 82, impacted mountainous terrain near Pearblossom, California. The airplane was destroyed and the crew of three were fatally injured. The flight originated from Hemet-Ryan Airport (HMT), Hemet, California, at 1310. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a company flight plan was filed for the operation. The airplane was owned by Aero Firefighting Service Company, Inc., and operated by the U.S. Forest Service as a public use aircraft. According to U.S. Forest Service personnel, the airplane was responding to a fire near the Tehachapi Mountains at the request of the California Department of Forestry. The crew was receiving flight following from High Desert TRACON (Joshua Approach Control) and the airplane's encoding altimeter was indicating 7,800 feet msl. A review of air traffic control communication tapes revealed two unidentified transmissions; one of an unintelligible squeal, followed by a brief expletive at 1331. According to some witnesses, the airplane had been in level flight when a fireball and/or explosion occurred in the vicinity of the left-wing, inboard engine, followed by separation of the left wing. Other witnesses observed the right engine "blow," followed by a second explosion; and the airplane turned to the right. Witnesses further noted that the airplane "rolled," "rotated clockwise," "arc[ed] down to the right," and "barrel rolled" after the fire/explosion. Witnesses also stated that the ground im
Probable cause
the inflight failure of the right wing due to fatigue cracking in the underside right wing skin and overlying doubler. A factor contributing to the accident was inadequate maintenance procedures to detect fatigue cracking.
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Browse: California · Lockheed aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
