What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On September 30, 2018, about 1800 pacific daylight time, a Cessna 177RG, N46321, crashed in to nearby nursery following a reported engine issue during takeoff from the Brackett Field Airport, La Verne, California. The commercial pilot in the right seat was fatally injured, the airline transport pilot in the left seat was seriously injured the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private party under provisions of title 14 code of federal regulations part 91 as a personal flight. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
According to multiple witnesses, the airplane backfired several times before or during the takeoff roll. Shortly after takeoff the pilot declared an emergency and stated engine trouble. B rackett tower cleared the pilot for a right turn to return to the airport. During the right turn the airplane impacted terrain.
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane came to rest upright on a heading of northeast, about 400 feet north of the right side, and about 1500 feet from the end of runway 26R. There was no post impact fire. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.
The left seat pilot, age 39, held an airline transport pilot certificate and the aircraft owner in right-seat, age 69, held a commercial pilot certificate. Both had current medical certificates.
Examination of the wreckage revealed the airplane impacted the terrain in a nose low attitude. The nose gear was detached and pushed aft. The main landing gear was partially retracted. The fuselage was damaged from the nose to the main landing gear wheel wells. The vertical fin, the rudder, and both left and right stabilizers were not damaged. The wings were damaged, remained intact but partially detached from the fuselage. The outer portion of the left wing, from the wing tip to end of the flaps was bent up and over the inner portion of the wing. The left flap shown distortion and wrinkling. The right-wing leading edge showed a large dent 1 ft 6 inches from the wing root. The right-wing tip 12 ft 6 inches from the root and running from the leading edge to half way to the ailerons was damaged and bent underneath the wing. The entire wing assembly was crushed down to the instrument panel. The engine nacelle was heavily damaged from underneath with crushing of the engine compartment up to the engine exhaust pipes. The three-blade propeller displayed damage to all three blades with twisting and chord wise patterns. One blade became detached from the constant speed hub.
The engine did not reveal any visible problems. No post impact fire, no oil leaks. The top spark plugs displayed normal uniform color and no mechanical damage. Could not get to the back or bottom of the engine due to the damage to the nacelle.
Will amend when additional information becomes available.
As the FAA filed it
ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2018, ABOUT 1800 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 177RG, N46321, CRASHED IN TO NEARBY NURSERY FOLLOWING A REPORTED ENGINE ISSUE DURING TAKEOFF FROM THE BRACKETT FIELD AIRPORT, LA VERNE, CALIFORNIA. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT IN THE RIGHT SEAT WAS FATALLY INJURED, THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT IN THE LEFT SEAT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE PARTY UNDER PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE FLIGHT WAS ORIGINATING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE WITNESSES, THE AIRPLANE BACKFIRED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE OR DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND STATED ENGINE TROUBLE. B RACKETT TOWER CLEARED THE PILOT FOR A RIGHT TURN TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT. DURING THE RIGHT TURN THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TERRAIN.
EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST UPRIGHT ON A HEADING OF NORTHEAST, ABOUT 400 FEET NORTH OF THE RIGHT SIDE, AND ABOUT 1500 FEET FROM THE END OF RUNWAY 26R. THERE WAS NO POST IMPACT FIRE. THE WRECKAGE WAS RECOVERED TO A SECURE LOCATION FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION.
THE LEFT SEAT PILOT, AGE 39, HELD AN AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT CERTIFICATE AND THE AIRCRAFT OWNER IN RIGHT-SEAT, AGE 69, HELD A COMMERCIAL PILOT CERTIFICATE. BOTH HAD CURRENT MEDICAL CERTIFICATES.
EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE TERRAIN IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THE NOSE GEAR WAS DETACHED AND PUSHED AFT. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS PARTIALLY RETRACTED. THE FUSELAGE WAS DAMAGED FROM THE NOSE TO THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WHEEL WELLS. THE VERTICAL FIN, THE RUDDER, AND BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT STABILIZERS WERE NOT DAMAGED. THE WINGS WERE DAMAGED, REMAINED INTACT BUT PARTIALLY DETACHED FROM THE FUSELAGE. THE OUTER PORTION OF THE LEFT WING, FROM THE WING TIP TO END OF THE FLAPS WAS BENT UP AND OVER THE INNER PORTION OF THE WING. THE LEFT FLAP SHOWN DISTORTION AND WRINKLING. THE RIGHT-WING LEADING EDGE SHOWED A LARGE DENT 1 FT 6 INCHES FROM THE WING ROOT. THE RIGHT-WING TIP 12 FT 6 INCHES FROM THE ROOT AND RUNNING FROM THE LEADING EDGE TO HALF WAY TO THE AILERONS WAS DAMAGED AND BENT UNDERNEATH THE WING. THE ENTIRE WING ASSEMBLY WAS CRUSHED DOWN TO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE ENGINE NACELLE WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED FROM UNDERNEATH WITH CRUSHING OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT UP TO THE ENGINE EXHAUST PIPES. THE THREE-BLADE PROPELLER DISPLAYED DAMAGE TO ALL THREE BLADES WITH TWISTING AND CHORD WISE PATTERNS. ONE BLADE BECAME DETACHED FROM THE CONSTANT SPEED HUB.
THE ENGINE DID NOT REVEAL ANY VISIBLE PROBLEMS. NO POST IMPACT FIRE, NO OIL LEAKS. THE TOP SPARK PLUGS DISPLAYED NORMAL UNIFORM COLOR AND NO MECHANICAL DAMAGE. COULD NOT GET TO THE BACK OR BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE DUE TO THE DAMAGE TO THE NACELLE.
WILL AMEND WHEN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N46321 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.