Brown Field Airport, San Diego, CA

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Airport Area Accident History:
Misc San Diego Accidents:
Accident occurred Tuesday, June 24, 2008 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/30/2008
Aircraft: Cessna 172M, registration: N9629V
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The student pilot reported that he was practicing touch-and-go landings and made a normal landing on runway 28L. Witnesses located adjacent to the runway observed the landing, and stated that the airplane landed hard on the right main landing gear. During the landing roll, the pilot raised the flaps, turned the carburetor heat off, and started to increase engine power when the airplane then began to veer to the left. He then applied full engine power in an attempt to get the airplane airborne. The airplane became airborne and the left main landing gear struck a taxiway sign. The pilot then elected to abort the takeoff and he reduced engine power, switched off the master switch and turned off the magnetos. The airplane continued into the adjacent ramp area and struck a parked and unoccupied helicopter.

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

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during a touch-and-go landing.

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Accident occurred Sunday, August 12, 2007 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/29/2007
Aircraft: Cessna 195, registration: N1031D
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
According to the pilot, the landing approach to runway 27R was normal. He asked the local controller for the winds and was told they were from 260 degrees at 7 knots with no reported wind gusts. He flared the airplane for a touchdown in "a three point landing attitude." As expected, he heard the stall warning horn go off, felt the tail wheel begin to touch the runway and was expecting the main gear wheels to touch when he "felt the airplane quickly surge up and then slam down." The pilot reported that "it felt like a gust of wind lifted the airplane at the last moment." The airplane "stalled" at an altitude of 8 to 10 feet above the runway and struck the ground "extremely hard."

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

The pilot's inadequate compensation for a wind gust that ballooned the airplane during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. A contributing factor was the wind gust.

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Accident occurred Saturday, August 11, 2007 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/29/2007
Aircraft: Cirrus Design Corp. SR22, registration: N336SR
Injuries: 3 Uninjured.
According to the pilot, his landing approach was "a little low" so he added power to compensate. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced "much higher" then he had previously experienced. He increased airspeed in an attempt to "make a more controlled landing." The airplane touched down and bounced "even higher." The airplane touched down a third time, and the nose wheel collapsed. Examination of photographs revealed structural damage to the bottom of the fuselage aft of the firewall.

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

The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in porpoising and collapse of the nose landing gear.

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Accident occurred Friday, December 01, 2006 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 3/31/2008
Aircraft: Learjet 36, registration: N26FN
Injuries: 3 Uninjured.
The airplane sustained an in-flight loss of the right elevator during an in-flight upset while maneuvering. The pilot was flying the airplane from the left seat. The mishap airplane rendezvoused with another Learjet to begin a series of profiles for flight testing. The crew noted that the horizon was very difficult to discern. While maneuvering for the second set of data points, the pilot lost sight of the other airplane, and rolled right to remain clear. His vision was impaired by the glare from the sun, which delayed his recognition of the airplane entering an unusual attitude. The pilot initiated recovery with the airplane in an estimated 70-degree right bank, 50-degree nose down attitude, and an airspeed of 380 KIAS. During the dive, the crew noted that the airplane was definitely shuddering, but did not recall any rolling tendencies or vibration of the control yoke. The crew conducted a controllability check by slowing it to 150 KIAS and lowering
the landing gear. Again the airplane exhibited no unusual flight characteristics. The remainder of the flight and landing were uneventful. During post flight inspection, the aircrew discovered that the right elevator was missing.

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

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering, which resulted in exceeding the design stress limits of the aircraft. Contributing to the accident was the sunglare.

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Accident occurred Friday, October 15, 2004 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 3/28/2006
Aircraft: DeRosier DR-107, registration: N31SH
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
The airplane impacted terrain while the pilot was performing low-level aerobatic maneuvers at an airshow. Review of videotaped footage of the pilot's performance showed that about 15 minutes into the flight, the pilot began a rolling maneuver that the airplane was to pull out of and continue parallel to the ground. The airplane never pulled out of the downward flight path and impacted terrain. This particular airshow was a milestone for the pilot and there may have been self-induced pressure to perform well.

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

the pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from terrain while performing low-level aerobatic maneuvers.

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Accident occurred Thursday, January 22, 2004 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 4/28/2004
Aircraft: Beech B36TC, registration: N321JT
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The airplane overran the runway, and collided with runway end identifier lighting and a ditch during an attempted go-around. The airplane landed long, and the pilot applied brakes upon touchdown. The left main tire blew out and the pilot attempted a go-around. The airplane overran the runway and veered to the left, resulting in the left wing colliding with a runway end identifier light. The airplane continued to the left and encountered a ditch filled with soft mud. The pilot did not report any mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident.

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

the pilot's misjudged speed and altitude, which led to a failure to attain the proper touchdown point and a subsequent runway overrun. Also causal was the pilot's delayed decision to perform a go-around.

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Accident occurred Thursday, December 04, 2003 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/28/2004
Aircraft: Cessna 525, registration: N15C
Injuries: 3 Uninjured.
The airplane veered off the runway during a night landing in instrument conditions and collided with ground obstructions. The weather conditions included a visibility of less than 1/4-mile in fog, with a vertical visibility of 100 feet. The pilot stated he was able to see the field while intercepting the instrument approach course at 3,000 feet msl. Using instruments for the approach, he was still able to maintain visual contact through the 100- to 200-foot-thick layer of fog, when he reached 200 feet agl. After descending, he lost visual contact with the runway, and everything became black. He started to move the levers up for a go-around, but noticed two red lights to his left. He thought he was too close to the ground and too slow, so he decided to land. The airplane touched down on the runway a second or two later. The pilot did not maintain directional control and the airplane veered to the left. It crossed an unpaved area, then hit and crossed a
taxiway. The pavement lip edge broke the nose wheel off. The airplane continued onto another unpaved area and came to rest. It was about 50 feet to the left of runway 28R, and about 100 feet to the right of runway 5. The airplane also incurred damage to the nose gear fork assembly, pressure vessel, and to frame members. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented had he initiated a go-around when he lost visual contact with the runway. He reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.

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

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control and to initiate a timely go-around when visual contact with the runway was lost.

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Accident occurred Sunday, October 26, 2003 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 2/24/2005
Aircraft: Mooney M20K, registration: N1147N
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The airplane landed hard on a highway while attempting to perform a go-around from runway 28R. The pilot received a preflight weather briefing from 1120 to 1131 and was advised he could not file IFR into the destination airport due to the closure of the TRACON and the airport ATCT due to a major forest fire threatening the facilities. He was advised he "might be able to get in VFR." He filed IFR to an intersection located in the vicinity of his destination airport. Once the flight arrived in the general destination area, the pilot canceled his IFR clearance and flew visually to the airport. After attempting to land runway 28R, he applied power for a go-around. He retracted the flaps but left the landing gear down, and did not put the propeller control in the full forward position. As the pilot maneuvered during the go-around he turned into a tailwind situation and the airplane was unable to maintain a climb. The airplane descended to impact on a highway.
A post crash fire erupted and consumed the airplane. The POH for the airplane states that the propeller control should be at a high rpm during landing. For a go-around procedure, the POH indicates that the pilot should apply power, retract the flaps to the takeoff position [10 degrees], and then retract the landing gear and remaining flaps once the airplane accelerates to 91 mph (77 knots) IAS. A post-accident inspection revealed that the propeller governor control arm was 3/8-inch from the low pitch stop. A METAR was issued at 1414 that noted the wind was from 070 degrees at 6 knots, gusting to 14 knots. No discrepancies were found duirng an examination of the engine.

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

the pilot's failure to configure the airplane properly for the go-around which resulted in degraded climb performance, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall. The tailwind was a contributing factor.

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Accident occurred Wednesday, April 26, 2000 in SAN DIEGO, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 5/18/2001
Aircraft: Robinson R22 BETA, registration: N622EH
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious.
According to the student pilot, he was a rated commercial pilot working toward his 20 hours of indoctrination into the aircraft. 'We were going to practice emergency procedures in the aircraft and get a little bit more familiar with flying it.' The student was flying the helicopter and decided to fly over an Indian Reservation to look at their motocross track for future photography work in the helicopter. The student told the instructor to take the controls and fly a racetrack pattern over the track and make an aerial application type turn at the end of the track to reverse course. The student would then try and duplicate the maneuver. As they changed controls from one another they would say, 'You got it,' or ' Okay, I got it' to confirm the transition. After the maneuvers were completed over the track, a critiquing took place while the student was flying in a hover. After the critiquing the student reported that he told the instructor to fly us out of
here and we will go over to Ramona. According to the student, when the instructor took the controls he said, 'I got it.' About the same time, the student said that the helicopter drifted a little bit and lost a little altitude. The student got back on the controls and the instructor said 'I got it' and he let go. The helicopter again drifted a little bit and the student saw through the lower bubble a rock sticking up out of the brush. The brush was about 5 feet high. The helicopter drifted over, the skid hit the rock, and the helicopter went into a dynamic rollover. The Safety Board examined the wreckage after recovery. There were no airframe or engine pre-accident discrepancies or mechanical malfunctions observed during the examination of the recovered remains.

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

The failure of the flight instructor to maintain control of the helicopter, resulting in skid contact with an obstacle and dynamic roll over.

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Accident occurred Saturday, March 11, 2000 in SAN DIEGO, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 6/25/2003
Aircraft: Robinson R22B, registration: N7078B
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The pilot landed the helicopter in the parking lot where his business was located to drop off a passenger and complete some business. After completing his business he elected to takeoff in a northerly direction along the west side of the building toward a parked van. This placed him a position to depart without a clear takeoff flight path, effectively eliminating his ability to remain in ground effect until entering translational lift. The pilot lifted to a hover, took off, and started his departure to the north. About 50 feet along the takeoff path, at an altitude of approximately 16 feet agl, the pilot noted a decrease in rotor rpm. He realized he would not be able to complete his planned departure and elected to execute a forced landing into the parking lot. He set the helicopter down in the parking lot as he veered to the right to avoid hitting the van. The tail rotor came into contact with the office window, breaking the window, and severely
damaging the tail rotor and the tail rotor gearbox.

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

The pilot's selection of an inadequate takeoff area which precluded his ability to remain in ground effect until entering translational lift and resulted in his failure to maintain main rotor rpm.
Accident occurred Saturday, March 03, 2007 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 5/29/2007
Aircraft: Hirsch Thorp T-18, registration: N78DH
Injuries: 2 Minor.
The conventional gear airplane bounced two times after touchdown and nosed over. On the first bounce, the pilot added a small amount of power to allow the airplane to settle back onto the runway. However, the airplane bounced again, and he added full power in an attempt to go around and pushed forward on the control stick. The propeller then contacted the runway and the airplane nosed over. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.

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

The pilot's improper bounced landing recovery and improper use of the flight controls that resulted in a porpoise and a nose over.

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Accident occurred Saturday, August 20, 2005 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 2/26/2007
Aircraft: Patch Dan F Varieze, registration: N862DP
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
Witnesses observed the airplane on a normal final approach and then it made a sudden right turn and impacted tractor trailers in a storage yard about 0.4 miles from the runway. The witnesses did not hear any unusual noises emanating from the engine. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction was observed with the airframe systems. During the disassembly of the carburetor, investigators noted that the accelerator pump seal was worn and separated from the retainer spring, which may have prevented the engine from responding to the pilot's throttle input.

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

a divergence from the final approach course and an in-flight collision with storage containers for undetermined reasons.

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Accident occurred Sunday, April 23, 2006 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 1/31/2007
Aircraft: Grumman American AA-1C, registration: N9756U
Injuries: 2 Minor.
The airplane stalled during the turn onto the crosswind leg, and it impacted the ground and a fence. The pilot reported that no mechanical malfunction was experienced during the flight. Regarding the sequence of events leading to the accident, the pilot reported that he had received permission from the local air traffic controller to perform an early turn onto the crosswind leg following takeoff. According to the pilot, during the climb the passenger spoke, and he diverted his attention toward the passenger. Upon looking forward, the pilot noticed that the airplane was stalling. The airplane impacted the ground before he was able to regain control.

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

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall during initial climb. A contributing factor was his diverted attention.

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Accident occurred Sunday, October 24, 2004 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 5/26/2006
Aircraft: Learjet 35A, registration: N30DK
Injuries: 5 Fatal.
The Safety Board adopted the final report of this accident investigation, including the analysis and probable cause, on May 23, 2006. The Board's full report is available on : http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2006/AAB0605.pdf

On October 24, 2004, about 0025 Pacific daylight time, a Learjet 35A twin-turbofan airplane, N30DK, registered to and operated by Med Flight Air Ambulance, Inc. (MFAA), collided into mountainous terrain shortly after takeoff from Brown Field Municipal Airport (SDM), near San Diego, California. The captain, the copilot, and the three medical crewmembers received fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. The repositioning flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 with an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan filed. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight, which was the fourth and final leg of a trip that originated the previous day, departed SDM at 0023.

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

The failure of the flight crew to maintain terrain clearance during a VFR departure, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain, and the air traffic controller's issuance of a clearance that transferred the responsibility for terrain clearance from the flight crew to the controller, failure to provide terrain clearance instructions to the flight crew, and failure to advise the flight crew of the MSAW alerts. Contributing to the accident was the pilots' fatigue, which likely contributed to their degraded decision-making.

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Accident occurred Saturday, March 08, 2003 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/1/2004
Aircraft: Kolb Company Firestar, registration: N670JW
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The airplane nosed over following an emergency landing in an open field. The pilot was flying westward toward the coastline at 1,500 feet. He heard a "bang," and then felt abnormal vibrations. He elected to perform an emergency landing in an open field. Upon landing in the soft ground the airplane nosed over. Initial inspection revealed a splintered propeller. The manufacturer's examination of the carbon fiber composite propeller revealed numerous indentations on the leading edges and patterns consistent with a foreign object strike that occurred prior to blade delamination. The manufacturer identified a 1.9-inch-wide abrasion mark along the entire blade width that resembled patterns that are commonly associated with nylon safety belt webbing. The aircraft kit manufacturer reported that the standard harness webbing provided by them is 1.75 inches wide. The pilot said that the rear seat of the airplane had the standard factory supplied 3-point harness
webbing and the pilot seat had an after market 4-point harness. The airplane is a high wing design, with the wing mounted above and behind the open cockpit. The engine and pusher propeller are mounted on top of the wing.

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

propeller delamination due to the pilot's failure to properly secure the rear seat shoulder harness prior to flight. A contributing factor was the soft ground in which the airplane landed.

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Accident occurred Saturday, May 11, 2002 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 3/2/2004
Aircraft: Cessna 170B, registration: N3462C
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The airplane veered off of the runway, ground looped, and impacted a ditch. The flight instructor reported that the student was flying as they entered the traffic pattern with the intention of performing touch-and-go pattern operations. Upon touchdown, the airplane veered to the right. By the time the flight instructor took the controls, the airplane was headed off of the runway. He added power in an attempt to abort the landing; however, the airplane veered off of the runway. The instructor noted that he let the student go too far before he intervened. He reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures. The winds at the time of the accident were from 300 degrees at 10 knots gusting to 15.

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

The failure of the dual student to maintain directional control of the airplane and the instructor's delayed the remedial action, which resulted in a ground loop. A factor in the accident was the gusting crosswind conditions.

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Accident occurred Saturday, May 12, 2001 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 3/30/2004
Aircraft: Gulfstream Aerospace G-IV, registration: N999GP
Injuries: 13 Uninjured.
The main rotor blade from a helicopter collided with the right wingtip of a twin-engine transport airplane while it was being marshaled into a ramp area for parking. The helicopter was parked with its rotor blades aligned with its longitudinal axis, and was being loaded with passengers while the airplane was being marshaled onto the ramp area. Four ramp personnel were utilized at the time of the accident; three for the airplane, and one for the helicopter. The ramp person assisting the helicopter stated he escorted the passengers to the helicopter and the pilot loaded the helicopter and closed the door. The other three ramp personnel were positioned around the airplane, one at the nose and one on each wing. As the airplane's cockpit passed abeam the helicopter, the captain noticed the main rotor blades start to rotate. The airplane's first officer was concerned with the distance between the airplane's right wing and the helicopter, but received a "thumbs
up" signal from the right wing walker.

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

the failure of the ground personnel to maintain clearance between two aircraft on the ramp, while one airplane was taxiing and the other was standing with the engine running and rotor blades turning.

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Accident occurred Wednesday, February 21, 2001 in San Diego, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 1/23/2002
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas 600N, registration: N606BP
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
During the landing slide, the main rotor blew back, contacted the tail boom, and severed it. The flight purpose was refresher training and the specific maneuver at the time of the accident was training in the procedure for a stuck (fixed) right pedal. According to the flight crew, there were no mechanical discrepancies with the helicopter. A run-on landing with the fixed right pedal was made to the 260-degree taxiway. The wind reported at the airport about 14 minutes after the accident was 330 degrees at 6 knots. The pilots reported that the wind was 310 degrees at 6 to 8 knots with gusts to 12 knots. According to information provided by the flight crew, the training pilot accomplished the maneuver: aligned with the runway heading with an airspeed between 55-65 knots; the instructor pilot (IP) held right pedal to induce a 10-degree right yaw; touchdown was estimated to occur about 30-40 knots; the low rotor rpm horn was "on" at or near touchdown, but the
rotor speed was not noted; the collective was positioned at some point above half travel; cyclic was slightly forward of neutral; shortly after touchdown both pilots felt the main rotor strike the tail boom; directional control was lost and the helicopter rotated about 220 degrees nose right before coming to rest, upright. The manufacturer indicated that main rotor/tail boom contact from blowback of the main rotor may result from forward velocity and low/decaying main rotor rpm (advance ratio) due to a high collective position during the ground run-out phase following the 30-knot plus touchdown. The blowback condition is exacerbated by the high angle pitch setting which causes blade stall over a large portion of the rotor disk. A blowback condition is present in all helicopters. It may be more pronounced in the MD600N (versus the 500N) due to greater helicopter gross weight, reduced flare/deceleration capabilities because of tail boom length and
installation angle, and the increased surface of the additional main rotor blade resulting in a more rapid decay of main rotor rpm. A caution in the helicopter's Rotorcraft Flight Manual specifies for practice autorotation landings to avoid conditions of ROTOR RPM (Nr) less than 60 percent with headwinds across the rotor greater than 30 knots during touchdown autorotations. These conditions during touchdown and subsequent ground slide, can lead to excessive rotor blowback, reduction in blade tip to tail boom clearance, and subsequent damage to the aircraft. Avoid these conditions by reducing collective pitch after touchdown (surface conditions permitting) and minimizing ground run.


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

The student pilot's improper use of the rotorcraft flight controls, and the instructor pilot's inadequate supervision of the maneuver.

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Accident occurred Monday, December 11, 2000 in SAN DIEGO, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 5/28/2002
Aircraft: Cessna 172H, registration: N4959R
Injuries: 2 Serious.
The pilot filed a visual flight plan to practice night landings. He contacted the tower about 1930, when approximately 5 miles west of the airport, and reported inbound for touch-and-go landings. The pilot was instructed to enter a right downwind for runway 26R, and to change to the correct frequency. The pilot said he did not have the current Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS) for weather information, and was given the current weather after he changed frequencies. The controller noticed the airplane just west of "Poggi" VOR (2.3 nautical miles north of the runways), and it appeared to be headed northbound away from the airport. The controller asked the pilot if he had the airport in sight and he responded he did not, but that he was practicing some maneuvers and was a little busy in the cockpit. A couple of minutes later the airplane was observed to be about 7 miles north. The controller advised the pilot to report the prison if he was still
inbound for a right base entry for runway 26R. The next readable transmission from the airplane was "encountering some soup." According to the operator, upon entering clouds, the pilot started a 75 mph climb, followed by a right turn just before impact. The pilot did not respond to additional calls from the controller and was no longer observed on the D-Brite radar system. The airplane had collided with a 2,791-foot mountain about 7 miles north of the intended airport. According to VFR charts, the maximum elevation figure for the accident quadrangle/sector is 4,100 feet mean sea level.

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

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning and weather evaluation that resulted in the inadvertant entry into instrument meteorological conditions while conducting visual flight. A factor was fog and the night visual conditions.

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Brown Field Airport Approach / Landing: