Cox Thorpe T-18 accident near Compton, CA
On January 23, 2004, a Cox Thorpe T-18 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Compton, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 23, 2004
- Place
- Compton, CA
- Aircraft
- Cox Thorpe T-18 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.890°N, 118.251°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040203X00154
Official records · LAX04LA106
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On January 23, 2004, at 0953 Pacific standard time, an experimental Cox Thorpe T-18, N64EC, rolled over and impacted terrain while on final approach to the Compton/Woodley Airport, Compton, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal local flight departed Compton about 0915. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane at the accident site and talked to witnesses. A witness, who was also a student pilot, reported seeing the Thorpe execute several practice touch-and-go takeoffs and landings before the accident. The witness looked down runway 25R, and observed the Thorpe on final approach in a landing configuration beginning to flare. A Long Beach Police Department EC-130 helicopter was above the airplane and descending directly in front of it. The Thorpe made an abrupt turn to the right, which the witness thought was an attempt to execute a go-around. The Thorpe flipped inverted and impacted terrain. Another witness, a certified flight instructor, was flying a Robinson R-22 helicopter in the traffic pattern for runway 25L. He stated that he heard the Thorpe pilot make a radio transmission stating his intentions to land on runway 25R. He then heard a radio transmission from the EC-130 pilot, stating that he was 2 miles east of the airport and intending to execute a straight-in approach runway 25R. The wi
Probable cause
both pilots' failure to see and avoid one another that resulted in the airplane's encounter with downwash induced wake vortices from the helicopter, and the airplane pilot's subsequent loss of control.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
