# Accident 20190715011789A: Bennett Willie S GLASTAR, Lompoc, CA, July 15, 2019 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: July 15, 2019, 21:15 local time - Place: Lompoc, CA - Airport: Lompoc Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Landing: Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 34.6656° N, 120.4575° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.6656&lon=-120.4575&mi=10 - Aircraft: N345BP (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: BENNETT WILLIE S GLASTAR - Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - Pilot flight hours: 300 total, 50 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB GAA19CA421](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA19CA421) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190715011789A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DID NOT FLY FOR THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS. HE DOES NOT HAVE A CURRENT MEDICAL CERTIFICATE, A CURRENT FLIGHT REVIEW, NOR ANY CURRENT MAINTENANCE INSPECTIONS ON HIS AIRCRAFT ABOUT EARLY JULY 2019, WHEN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DECIDED TO FLY AGAIN AT KLPC (LOMPOC AIRPORT CA.), HE CLEANED OFF HIS AIRCRAFT, DRAINED THE FUEL AND REPLENISHED THE TANKS WITH FRESH 100 LL AVGAS. HE ALSO GREASED THE WHEEL BEARINGS. DURING THE WEEK OF JULY 7, 2019, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TOOK CONTROL OF HIS AIRCRAFT ON THREE OCCASIONS. ON THE FIRST DAY HE PERFORMED HIGH SPEED TAXI CHECKS OF HIS AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY AT LOMPOC AIRPORT. TWO DAYS LATER HE ACTED AS PIC AND FLEW AROUND THE PATTERN SIX TIMES. AFTER EACH LANDING HE PERFORMED A FULL ENGINE RUN-UP TO CHECK HIS POWER. TWO DAYS LATER AND THE THIRD EVENT THAT WEEK, HE FLEW AROUND THE PATTERN FOR TEN TAKEOFF AND LANDINGS. ON THE EVENING OF JULY 15, 2019 ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DECIDED TO FLY AT NIGHT FOR HIS NIGHT CURRENCY. HE FLEW AROUND THE PATTERN AND PERFORMED THREE OR FOUR TAKEOFF AND LANDINGS. DURING HIS LAST APPROACH THE RUNWAY LIGHTS WERE EXTINGUISHING THEMSELVES AND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS FRUSTRATED BY THE LACK OF LIGHTING. HE WAS KEYING HIS MICROPHONE TRYING TO ILLUMINATE THE RUNWAY LIGHTS. HE WAS SO FOCUSED ON THE LACK OF LIGHTING THAT HE LOST SPATIAL ORIENTATION AND DESCENDED INTO TREES ON SHORT FINAL DURING HIS APPROACH TO LANDING FOR RUNWAY 25 AT LOMPOC AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED UPSIDE DOWN IN THE DIRT AREA JUST SHORT OF THE HIGHWAY. HE CLIMBED OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS UNINJURED. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB GAA19CA421](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA19CA421), Jul 15, 2019: Willie Bennett Glastar (N345BP), Lompoc, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain a proper glidepath during a night landing, which resulted in impact with a tree. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.