Cable Airport, Upland, CA

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Airport Area Accident History:
Accident occurred Monday, June 04, 2007 in Upland, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/26/2008
Aircraft: Piper PA-34-200, registration: N4463T
Injuries: 1 Serious, 2 Minor.
A Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) was providing multiengine instruction to the pilot. They were in the traffic pattern, approximately 800 feet above ground level (agl), after completing several touch-and-go landings. The CFI stated that his regular method for setting up practice engine-out landings for a student was to close the mixture, allow the student to go through the process of controlling the airplane, and simulating the procedures to feather the inoperative engine's propeller. The instructor would then return the mixture to full rich, and verify engine operation. This would occur on downwind, and then the landing would be completed with the simulated inoperative engine at idle. On downwind, the instructor closed the mixture on the left engine. During this maneuver, the pilot turned the airplane left from base to final and the airspeed decreased. The airplane rolled sharply to the left and lost altitude. The instructor reduced both throttles and
regained control of the airplane just as it collided with the roof of one house, bounced across another roof, and came to rest on top of a third house. The Federal Aviation Administration recommends that in-flight simulated engine failures at altitudes below 3,000 feet agl be introduced only by reduction of the throttle. Post-crash inspection of the engine and airframe found no anomalies that would have prevented normal operation.

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

Failure of the pilot under instruction to maintain the minimum single engine control airspeed (air) and directional control while turning to final approach. Also causal was the flight instructor's inadequate supervision and delayed remedial actions.

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Accident occurred Saturday, February 24, 2007 in Upland, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/27/2007
Aircraft: Scherer Europa, registration: N81EU
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The pilot said that he was departing on runway 24, and at approximately 80 feet above the runway, the engine lost power. He established a glide for a forced landing. The aircraft impacted a berm on the left side of the west end of the runway, bounced, and came to rest about 150 feet from the runway end. The engine compartment was broken from the fuselage at the firewall, and remained attached to the fuselage by control cables and wires. The pilot said that he had just finished a conditional inspection. He said that he put 5 gallons of fuel in the airplane prior to flight; it holds a maximum of approximately 18 gallons. He said that after the accident he found the fuel line, which led to the fuel filter, to be deteriorated. The pilot said that a small piece of rubber from the fuel line was blocking the filter's inlet. He believes that this was what led to the fuel starvation of the engine.

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

The pilot's inadequate condition inspection and subsequent loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of a blocked fuel filter.

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Accident occurred Sunday, October 08, 2006 in Upland, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 3/31/2008
Aircraft: Robinson R22 Beta, registration: N821SH
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
The helicopter's engine suddenly lost power during initial climb on an instructional flight. The certified flight instructor (CFI) took the controls and autorotated to a hard touchdown in a gravel pit. After securing the helicopter, the CFI inspected the throttle linkage. He reported that something appeared disconnected behind the firewall. "When rotating the throttle from full open to full close, the push/pull tube that connects to the carburetor does not move." The subsequent examination of the helicopter's throttle spring assembly revealed that on a previous occasion improper maintenance had been performed. The helicopter's maintenance records did not reflect maintenance in this area. The inspection revealed that the upper rod end bearing was disconnected from the lower portion of the rod because it had not been safety wired as required. This maintenance error resulted in a total loss of throttle control.

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

Disconnection of the throttle control linkage due to improper maintenance, which resulted in a loss of engine power during initial climb.

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Accident occurred Saturday, June 24, 2006 in Upland, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/25/2007
Aircraft: Cessna 560, registration: N486SB
Injuries: 1 Fatal, 2 Serious.
The airplane touched down at night about 1,400 feet down the 3,864-foot runway and overran the runway surface, coming to rest about 851 feet beyond the departure end. The pilot was operating the airplane using a single-pilot waiver that he obtained two months prior to the accident. The airplane was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration with a flight crew of two. The pilot was returning from a personal event with his family, and landing at his home airport when the accident occurred. Witnesses stated that the pilot’s approach into the airport was not consistent with previous approaches in which the airplane would touch down directly on the runway numbers. They also stated that they heard the thrust reversers deploy, and then return to the stowed position. The airplane flight manual states that once the thrust reversers have been deployed, a pilot should not attempt to restow the thrust reversers and take off. Two sink rate warnings were
issued during the approach to landing which should have alerted the pilot of the unstabilized approach. Performance calculations showed that the airplane would have required an additional 765 to 2,217 feet of runway for a full stop landing.

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

The pilot's unstabilized approach to the runway and failure to obtain the proper touchdown point, which resulted in a runway overrun.

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Accident occurred Wednesday, October 19, 2005 in Upland, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 2/28/2006
Aircraft: Piper PA-23-160, registration: N4252P
Injuries: 1 Minor, 2 Uninjured.
After touchdown, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway and collided with a vehicle. During the collision sequence, the airplane spun 180 degrees and its right main landing gear collapsed. The pilot said that following the airplane's touchdown on the runway, he started to apply the brakes but they felt mushy and unresponsive. He applied more and more pressure to the brakes but the airplane did not stop. As he continued to apply pressure, the airplane departed the right side of the runway and collided with a vehicle. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector examined the braking system with an aviation maintenance technician. The left brake had new linings and the brake disk was worn. The right brake linings were at a minimum and the disk was within acceptable limits. Responding law enforcement officers noted that three distinctive skid marks matching the dimensional geometry of the aircraft's landing gear were on the
runway and they veered for several hundred feet off the right side of the runway and led to the impact damaged vehicle and the airplane. The skid marks corresponding to the right and left main wheels were identical in width, heaviness, and color. The FAA inspector reported that there was no evidence that either brakes had locked up during the landing.

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

the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing.

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Accident occurred Friday, August 20, 2004 in Upland, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/28/2004
Aircraft: Berry Hatz CB-1, registration: N592DJ
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The airplane veered off the runway and collided with a taxiway light, followed by a collision with a hangar. The airplane bounced upon initial touchdown onto the runway. The pilot added power to soften the following touchdown and the airplane veered to the left and collided with a taxiway light and then a hangar. The pilot said that the bi-wing structure of the airplane reduced his forward visibility and made regaining runway alignment difficult. The pilot noted no 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 inadequate recovery following a bounced landing, improper use of the rudder control, and failure to maintain directional control.

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Accident occurred Friday, February 13, 2004 in Upland, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 4/28/2005
Aircraft: Cessna 172N, registration: N5107K
Injuries: 2 Minor, 1 Uninjured.
The engine lost partial power just after the airplane lifted off the runway and the pilot aborted the takeoff and attempted to land on the remaining runway. The airplane touched down on the runway, overran its departure end, impacted a flatbed trailer, and came to rest on uneven terrain against a berm about 43 yards from the runway. The pilot reported that the airplane appeared to have been in proper working condition and worthy of flight during his preflight and pretakeoff inspections. However, after climbing for several seconds he heard the engine lose power, and its tachometer decreased to 1,400 rpm. The pilot believed that the airplane was not going to continue flying so he elected to abort the takeoff. To ascertain the reason for the power loss, the accident airplane's engine was removed from the airplane and installed on another airframe. After removing and replacing several impact-damaged engine accessories/components, the engine was run up to
2,400 rpm. With the exception of a minor vibration due to the fact that the crankshaft was bent, the engine operated normally. The reason for the partial engine power loss, as reported by the pilot, was not ascertained.

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

A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons during takeoff.

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Accident occurred Saturday, June 03, 2000 in UPLAND, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/30/2001
Aircraft: Mooney M20F, registration: N9207V
Injuries: 1 Minor, 3 Uninjured.
The airplane veered off the runway and came to rest in a ditch during takeoff. The pilot reported that the cabin door came open during takeoff. He intended to continue the takeoff and return to land and close the door; however, the passenger in the right front seat distracted him. In the time necessary to calm and reassure the passenger, the pilot lost directional control of the aircraft and it drifted off the runway to the left. The nearest aviation surface weather observation, at an airport 6 miles away, was reporting calm wind conditions.

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

The failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain directional control of the aircraft on takeoff after the cabin door became ajar.

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Accident occurred Saturday, January 08, 2000 in UPLAND, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 1/2/2002
Aircraft: Clark PITTS S1X, registration: N900SH
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
During an air show, while conducting aerobatic maneuvers, the airplane continued in a spin to ground impact. According to witnesses, the pilot was performing an aerobatic routine with two other airplanes, known as a "squirrel cage" maneuver. The airplanes would take turns entering the aerobatic box to perform a single choreographed maneuver. The routine card indicated that the pilot was to perform multiple snap rolls when the accident occurred. A video of the pilot's routine was examined with the assistance of members of the International Aerobatic Club. The video showed that the pilot made 3 1/2 snap rolls to the right, and then 2 1/2 spins to the left. It appeared there was no flight control problem and the pilot entered a flat spin. The elevator appeared to be loaded and the pilot never broke the stall prior to impact. The pilot had written a magazine article advocating a specific spin recovery method.

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

The pilot's failure to recover from an intentional aerobatic maneuver.


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