Cessna P210N accident near Santa Monica, CA
On August 11, 2012, a Cessna P210N (airplane) was involved in an accident near Santa Monica, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 11, 2012
- Place
- Santa Monica, CA
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.046°N, 118.432°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120811X63955
Official records · WPR12FA349
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 10, 2012, about 1811 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna P210N, N41KA, impacted trees and terrain about 3 miles northeast of the Santa Monica Airport (SMO), Santa Monica, California. The private pilot/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage in the post impact fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed SMO about 1744, and no flight plan had been filed. According to a Los Angeles City fire fighter/paramedic, he was about a block away clearing a call when he heard tree branches snapping. He turned around and saw the accident airplane in a nose down attitude. The airplane struck a 30-foot-tall palm tree, rotated 90 degrees, and dropped straight down. The airplane was then involved in a post-crash fire. The witness stated that he did not recall hearing the sound of the airplane's engine. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot, age 70, held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, and instrument airplane. He held a third-class medical certificate issued on October 21, 2011. According to his logbook, the pilot had accumulated a total time of 3,200 hours. According to the pilot's son, his father had flown from Santa Monica to Mammoth, California, Carson City, Nevada, Reno, Nevada, then to Monterey, California, Santa Barbara, California, and then back to Santa Monica, the week before the accident. He further stated that the flight befor
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain altitude during a return to the airport following an unspecified emergency; the nature of the emergency could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
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Browse: California · Cessna 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.
