- Date
- July 15, 2019, 09:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lompoc, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N345BPWillie Bennett Glastar
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190715011789A
- Case key
- 99856
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper glidepath during a night landing, which resulted in impact with a tree.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, while on the base leg for his third nighttime landing, the runway lights turned off. Despite his failed attempts to turn on the runway lights, he completed his base-to-final turn about 200 ft above ground level. With the runway lights not illuminated, he decided to use the blue taxiway lights parallel to the runway as his reference to land. While on final approach, the airplane struck a tree and impacted the ground inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that while on base leg for his third nighttime landing, the runway lights turned off. Despite his failed attempts to turn on the runway lights, he completed his base to final turn about 200 ft. agl. With the runway lights not illuminated, he decided to use the blue taxiway lights parallel of the runway as his reference to land. While on final approach, the airplane struck a tree and impacted the ground inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures to the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N345BP
- Reported as
- Willie Bennett Glastar
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- WBS1
- Built
- 2000
- Engine
- Lycoming, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- LPC · Lompoc, CA
- Destination
- LPC · Lompoc, CA
- Airport
- LPC · Lompoc, runway 25, 4,600 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 200 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 270° at 9 knots
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KLPC
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 19, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 290 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.