The airplane impacted a horse stable in mountainous terrain at 1210 Pacific time. The private pilot and his two passengers were killed, and the airplane was severely fragmented and consumed by a post-impact fire. Instrument conditions prevailed; no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Van Nuys, Calif., about 1200. Witnesses heard the airplane but could not see it due to low clouds, fog and mist. One witness stated that seconds before the airplane impacted terrain, it flew over her upside down. Two witnesses working on a nearby rooftop observed the airplane flying very low, pass between two hills north of the accident site, then make a steep right-hand descending turn and impacting the ground “like a missile.” They said the engine pitch increased slightly while behind the hill, and then was steady in pitch until the airplane impacted the ground. The airplane wreckage was contained in an area about 40 feet in diameter.
October 21, 2010, Agua Dulce, Calif., Cirrus Design Corp. SR22
The airplane impacted a horse stable in mountainous terrain at 1210 Pacific time. The private pilot and his two passengers were killed, and the airplane was severely fragmented and consumed by a post-impact fire. Instrument conditions prevailed; no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Van Nuys, Calif., about 1200.
Key Takeaways:
- A private plane carrying a pilot and two passengers crashed into a horse stable in mountainous terrain, killing all occupants and resulting in the aircraft's severe fragmentation and post-impact fire.
- The accident occurred under prevailing instrument conditions (low clouds, fog, mist), with no flight plan filed for the short flight from Van Nuys, California.
- Witnesses reported the airplane flying very low, at one point upside down, before making a steep right-hand descending turn and impacting the ground "like a missile."
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