Cessna 337 accident near Sylmar, CA
On April 20, 2022, a Cessna 337 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sylmar, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 20, 2022
- Place
- Sylmar, CA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.311°N, 118.432°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220420104976
Official records · WPR22FA160
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Mor: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT 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. Review of the recorded communication between the air traffic controller and accident pilot revealed that, shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported to the tower controller that his landing gear did not retract all the way and he would like to stay over the airport. The controller asked the pilot his intentions, to which the pilot replied that he was going to climb to 2,500 ft and circle the airport. The controller instructed the pilot to climb to 2,500 ft and make a left pattern; the pilot acknowledged. There were no further communications received from the pilot despite repeated attempt by the tower controller. Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) data showed that the airplane departed runway 12 at Whiteman Airport (WHP), Los Angeles, California. The ADS-B target showed a left turn to a northwesterly heading and a climb to about 2,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The data showed that the airplane continued at an altitude of about 2,000 ft for about 1 minute, 41 seconds until a left 90° turn was observed. At 1226:12, the airplane entered a descent from 1,900 ft. The last ADS-B target was recorded at 1226:19, about 75 ft north-northeast of the accident site at an altitude of 1,500 ft msl. One witness stated that he saw the airplane descending “nose first at a very ste
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.
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
- Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
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.
