El Monte Airport, El Monte, CA

Location:  The El Monte Airport is located 1 mile north of El Monte, California.

History:

El Monte Airport Today: Obstructions reported; Water tower; Bird hazard; Helicopter operations;




Airport Services and Amenities:  Restaurant on the field; Annie's Kitchen; Aircraft Ground Support; American Airports Corp.; Fast Aviation, Inc.; Lightning Aircraft Corp.; Universal Air Academy; Fuel; Chevron Jet, 100LL; Self service 100LL, Jet, 24 hours;

Special Events and Attractions:  Los Angeles Zoo; Santa Ana Racetrack; Rose Bowl; Downtown Los Angeles;

Airport Area Accident History:
Accident occurred Friday, September 14, 2007 in El Monte, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 1/31/2008
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta, registration: N877HF
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
While in cruise flight about 1,700 feet agl, the flight instructor heard a loud "bang" from the back of the helicopter. The alternator warning light illuminated, and he initiated the alternator emergency procedure. He noticed the engine's rpm was fluctuating with the main rotor rpm indicating high and the engine rpm low. He entered an autorotation and landed on uneven terrain; the main rotor struck the tail boom, and the helicopter rolled over onto its left side. The helicopter was examined by a Safety Board investigator. The two main drive V-belts were located in the drive compartment with one positioned on the drive pulleys in the middle slot (between the normal operating positions for the forward and aft belts), and the other was located completely off of the drive pulleys. Both belts exhibited damage on the inside including scratch marks, material and color transfers, and gouges consistent with damage by a rubber based foreign object. Rubber and
color transfer in a transverse orientation inconsistent with the drive belts was noted on the upper and lower pulleys. The alternator belt was missing and not recovered. The clutch assembly was located in the up position with the actuator fully extended, and the safety stop activated. The oil cooler sustained damage to the outer fins. Rubber transfer was located on the oil cooler, starter, oil lines, and exhaust tube on a plane with the alternator belt's rotation. The alternator belt is located directly below the lower main drive pulley. No other preimpact anomalies with either the airframe or engine were discovered. As a result of this investigation Robinson is changing the specification for the alternator drive belt.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

a failure of the main rotor drive system V-belts due to damage sustained when the alternator drive belt failed and pieces of that belt got between the main drive belts and their associated pulleys. A contributing factor was the uneven terrain encountered in the forced landing.

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Accident occurred Wednesday, February 15, 2006 in El Monte, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 5/30/2006
Aircraft: Robinson R22, registration: N23617
Injuries: 2 Minor.
The helicopter rolled over and impacted terrain during an attempted takeoff from the asphalt tarmac. The pilot said he lifted the helicopter and the skids were lightly touching the surface. He began to raise the collective and the helicopter's nose responded by becoming airborne first. As he applied forward cyclic to level the helicopter, a strong gust of wind was encountered. The helicopter stabilized and he continued to raise the collective. The helicopter ascended about 3 feet above ground level (agl) and was pushed back by the wind. The nose pitched up and the left skid contacted the ground. The helicopter rolled backward to the left, rotating around the left skid. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

the pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, which resulted in the helicopter dynamically rolling over.

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Accident occurred Saturday, January 25, 2003 in El Monte, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/28/2004
Aircraft: Cessna T210L, registration: N732DK
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The airplane experienced a collapse of the right main landing gear during a precautionary landing. The pilot had just picked up the airplane from a facility after a new avionics suite had been installed. This was the first flight after completion of the work. As the flight neared the airport of intended landing, the pilot requested and received a clearance into the traffic pattern. He had just put the landing gear switch in the down position and was reaching for the flaps when the airplane lost all electrical power. The pilot reported that the power loss was sudden, and there had been no prior indications of a decreasing electrical power reserve such as dimming lights and fading or unreadable radios. The pilot circled and attempted to rectify the problem without success. He then decided to return to the airplane's home airport. As he entered the traffic pattern, the pilot and passenger visually examined the position of both the right and left main gear,
which appeared to be in the down and locked position. The pilot then extended the hand pump, pumped it a few times, and felt strong resistance from the system. About 2 seconds after touchdown, the airplane shuddered, and then veered off the right side of the runway. After exiting the airplane, the pilot noticed that the right main landing gear had folded under the fuselage. A recovery crew lifted the airplane by a sling, and manually extended the right main gear into the down and locked position, where it remained during towing operations back to the pilot's hangar. The emergency section of the POH under the emergency gear extension section says to pump the hand pump until "strong resistance is felt." Without electrical power, the landing gear warning lights and horn do not work and the pilot would have to rely on a visual inspection of the main landing gear to determine if they were in the down position. Post accident inspection of the electrical
system revealed that the alternator switch contact was not functioning properly. This resulted in a lack of field current and eventual complete discharge of the battery.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

the alternator switch contact failure, which resulted in a complete electrical failure.

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Accident occurred Saturday, August 26, 2000 in EL MONTE, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/17/2001
Aircraft: Fogerson Richard D RV-6A, registration: N888LH
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The aircraft collided with ground obstructions during a forced landing following an loss of engine power. The flight was routine until on 2.5-mile final approach for landing when the pilot reduced engine power and raised the nose of the aircraft to slow to flap extension speed. He completed the landing checklist at the same time by setting the mixture control to the rich position, turning the fuel boost pump on, and extending the flaps. When he moved the throttle forward to add power to stabilize the descent there was no response from the engine. He checked the mixture position, throttle position, fuel selector, and engaged the starter and lowered the nose of the aircraft; all to no avail. He identified an off-airport landing location, transmitted 'mayday' to the tower, maintained flying airspeed, and landed. During the landing rollout, the airplane collided with a tree. Postaccident examination did not reveal why the engine lost power.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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Accident occurred Wednesday, June 21, 2000 in EL MONTE, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 8/21/2001
Aircraft: Cessna 150M, registration: N704QJ
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
During cruise, the engine lost power then nosed over during a forced landing in an open, dirt field. No mechanical anomalies were experienced with the engine sound or gages prior to the loss of engine power. About 10 minutes into the flight the engine began to run roughly. The CFI performed the emergency checklist and picked one of two open fields to make a forced landing. During the approach to the second field, a construction vehicle drove into their flight path. The CFI shortened the approach and landed in the first field. On the landing roll the nose wheel dug into the dirt and the airplane nosed over. The external examination of the engine revealed that the left muffler end cap had separated in an outward direction from the muffler about 350 degrees in circumference in a 45-degree angle. This allowed heat to be directed at the firewall. The P-leads located within the electrical harness were melted, which allowed the conductors to short within the
wires.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:

The inadequate maintenance inspection by other maintenance personnel of the exhaust system that resulted in an eroded muffler that allowed hot gases to impinge on magneto wiring and resulted in loss of engine power. A factor was the soft terrain at the forced landing site.


El Monte AAirport Approach / Landing: