Cessna P210 N7WJ

Summary

On 4 September 2011 at about 18:25 local time, a Cessna P210 registered N7WJ, operated by Walter L Johnson Trustee, was involved in an accident near Tehachapi, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 September 2011 at 18:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Tehachapi, California, United States

Coordinates

35.0681, -118.4336

Aircraft

Cessna P210

Registration

N7WJ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Walter L Johnson Trustee

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Upland → Upland

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11FA430

2 people died.

The pilot’s intentional low-altitude maneuvering and failure to maintain clearance from terrain due to distraction.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot's friend, who was also a pilot, observed the airplane flying around his home. He noted that the landing gear and flaps were partially down and that he saw the pilot wave his hand out his window. Shortly after, the airplane turned west, and the landing gear began to retract. The friend returned to his previous activities, and, within seconds, he heard a "whump" followed by silence. He moved to a better vantage point and observed smoke in the direction of his last observation of the airplane. A pilot-rated witness at the local airport reported that he was familiar with the surrounding area and noticed that the airplane was flying low and that it then started flying up a valley between two ridgelines, disappeared from his sight behind the nearest one, and, about 20 seconds later, he saw smoke. The airplane collided with trees, and it was destroyed in a postcrash fire. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failure that would have precluded normal operation. The autopsy found no evidence of a recent or acute coronary event or the presence of medications that would have affected the pilot's performance. Further, the witness statements did not suggest acute incapacitation or sudden severe impairment, and evidence suggests the pilot was manipulating the controls just before impact. Thus, it is likely that the pilot was distracted with waving to his friend on the ground and failed to maintain sufficient altitude while maneuvering at low altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.