Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
West Athens, California 90047
Sunday, April 29, 2007 20:51 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The pilot contacted approach control and requested a visual flight rules (VFR) approach to the airport. During the approach, the pilot attempted to maintain VFR, however, was unable due to low ceilings and haze. The controller then cleared the pilot for a localizer approach to the runway. During the approach, the airplane descended below the minimum descent altitude (MDA) and the controller obtained a minimum safe altitude warning alert. The controller then asked the pilot if he had the airport in sight. The pilot replied that he did not have the airport in sight and he was underneath the clouds. The pilot was cleared to change frequency, and no further communications were received from the pilot. The last radar return for the target was in the area of the accident site at a mode C reported altitude of 300 feet mean sea level (msl), or about 140 feet above ground level. The airplane collided with two static cables located adjacent to a high-tension tower about 1.5 miles east of the airport. The height of the tower was 118 feet and the terrain elevation was 164 feet. The airplane then impacted terrain and came to rest inverted. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies. On the morning of the accident, the pilot received his complex and high performance airplane endorsements. At the time of the accident, the pilot had accumulated 237 total flight hours and 15 flight hours in the accident airplane. The accident flight was the pilot's first solo flight in the airplane. Review of the pilot's logbook disclosed that no instrument flights or approaches were recorded in preceding 6 months of logged flights.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the pilot's descent below the published minimum descent altitude for the instrument approach procedure, which resulted in a collision with wires and terrain. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's lack of recent experience in the accident airplane and in instrument meteorological conditions, and the night lighting conditions.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/29/2007 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 2051 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | West Athens |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 90047 |
| Event Date Year | 2007 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 335517N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1180229W |
| Event Location Airport | -- |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | -- |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 2053 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 90 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | HHR |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 66 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 2 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 800 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 6 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 16 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 13 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 240 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.01 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 23758 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 29 2007 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jun 30 2008 11:48AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\johb |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | WP-FSDO, Los Angeles, CA |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N3172L |
| NTSB Number | LAX07LA143 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | Yes |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Beech |
| Aircraft Model | B36TC |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | EA-485 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2900 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Mar 1 2007 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 1409.9 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | David K. Berling |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Avondale |
| Aircraft Owner State | AZ |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 85323 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | GEU |
| Departure City | Glendale |
| Departure State | AZ |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1900 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | HHR |
| Destination City | HAWTHORNE |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach - final approach fix (FAF)/outer marker to threshold (IFR) |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jun 6 2008 4:49PM |
| User who most recently changed record | COOS |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |