Agua Caliente Airport, Agua Caliente Springs, California
Location:
Agua Caliente Airstrip is north of
Interstate 8, on County Highway S2, 95 miles east of San Diego.
Airport History:
The San
Diego County Department of Parks and Recreation
leases land from the State of California for use as
a County park. In 1988 that lease was renewed for 20
years. Under terms of the agreement, County Airports
uses 160 acres for aviation purposes but may not
sublease or develop the property for more than what
is needed for operation of the landing strip.
Agua Caliente
Airport Today
The facility serves residents of rural east San
Diego County and visitors to Agua Caliente Hot
Springs County Park. To the uninformed, Agua
Caliente Airstrip looks like a blacktop field next
to a two-lane desert highway in the middle of
nowhere. To those with knowledge, it's the gateway
to a beautiful hideaway.
The airstrip is within an easy walk to the park
which features geothermal heated springs and pools,
hiking trails and panoramic vistas. A small store
adjacent to the park sells supplies and curios.
The park has picnic areas, 140 campsites and two
naturally-fed pools for guests. Hikers can roam
miles of trails which meander through canyons and
hillsides and offer spectacular views of the
Anza-Borrego Desert. A relatively abundant water
supply supports a wide range of desert flora
including acacias, willows, palms and mesquite. And,
depending on rainfall and season, there are many
wildflowers and succulents.
Airport
Services & Amenities: Agua Caliente Springs Airport has tie-down
parking and self-service 100LL fuel available.
Special Events and
Attractions: Hot Springs and Health Spa;
Agua Caliente Springs
Airport
Area Accident History:
Accident occurred Monday, December 09, 2002
in Agua Caliente, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/28/2004
Aircraft: Cessna T210L, registration: N732HJ
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The flight instructor and commercial pilot
were practicing landings on a hard-surfaced runway. During the accident
landing roll, the airplane's right main landing gear collapsed, and the
airplane veered off the runway. Prior to touchdown, the flight instructor
stated that he verified that the landing gear were in the down position,
with all three gear down indicators illuminated. Postaccident inspection of
the landing gear mechanism disclosed that the left main landing gear and the
nose gear were fully extended; the right main landing gear was almost fully
retracted. Examination of the right main landing gear actuator revealed that
it had bulged and cracked along the axis of the hydraulic cylinder. The
fracture surfaces of the crack were indicative of overload facture, with no
evidence of fatigue cracks.
The National Transportation Safety Board
determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The failure of the right main landing gear
actuator during the landing roll, which resulted in a collapse of the right
main land gear, and loss of directional control.
Agua Caliente
Airport Approach / Landing Video:
