# LA plane crash **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 4, 2019, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952 "2019-02-04T16:17:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/1 "2019-02-04T16:17:47Z")
[https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-plane-into-house-yorba-linda-20190203-story.html%3FoutputType=amp](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-plane-into-house-yorba-linda-20190203-story.html%3foutputType=amp) A small plane slammed into a two-story house in Yorba Linda on Sunday, killing five people including the pilot, and creating a chaotic scene as neighbors ran out to discover the home on fire and pieces of the aircraft strewn across their yards. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/2 "2019-02-04T17:37:10Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > [‘It felt like a bomb': Small plane crashes into Yorba Linda home, leaving five dead](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-plane-into-house-yorba-linda-20190203-story.html%3foutputType=amp) > > A small plane slammed into a two-story house in Yorba Linda on Sunday, killing five people including the pilot, and creating a chaotic scene as neighbors ran out to discover the home on fire and pieces of the aircraft strewn across their yards. No telling what brought it down, but [here](https://www.aopa.org/go-fly/aircraft-and-ownership/aircraft-fact-sheets/cessna-414) is some information about the Cessna 414: > [@](#): > > Continental’s TSIO-520-J powered the original 414s, while the TSIO-520-Ns pulled the 414A. Both models were rated at 310 hp at 2,700 rpm. Since most pressurized/turbocharged airplanes spend their useful life in the less-than-perfect environment of the flight levels, the 414’s engines have had their share of problems. These engines can be very temperamental and do not take kindly to abrupt throttle movements or casually monitored engine operations. The engines began life with a TBO of 1,400 hours, which was later extended to 1,600 hours; but, according to many owners, the 1,400-hour figure is a more accurate estimate of the engine’s lifespan. > > Airworthiness directives are limited mostly to the engines, and those tagged to the airframe should have been complied with by now… [And:](http://articles.latimes.com/1989-04-01/local/me-962_1_engine-failure) > [@](#): > > In the survey by Aviation Consumer, the twin-engine plane with the lowest fatal accident rate was the Cessna 414. It had a rate of 0.8 fatal accidents for each 100,000 hours of flight time. So on one hand, the Cessna 414 has a history of problematic engines. On the other hand, the Cessna 414 had the lowest fatal accident rate in 1989. Another issue is that there was an [AD for cracked spar cap](https://www.cessnaflyer.org/knowledge-base/aviation-alerts/item/1031-ad-2018-03-03-400-series-twin-cessna-spar-inspection.html): > [@](#): > > From the FAA: SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Textron Aviation Inc. Models 401, 401A, 401B, 402, 402A, 402B, 402C, 411, 411A, 414, 414A 421, 421A, 421B, 421C, and 425 airplanes. This AD requires repetitively inspecting the left and the right forward lower carry through spar cap for cracks and replacing the carry through spar if cracks are found. This AD was prompted by a report of a fully cracked lower forward carry through spar cap found on an affected airplane. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. Right now, just from the article, we have no evidence of why the aircraft crashed. I would be interested in reading the NTSB report when it comes out. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/3 "2019-02-04T17:50:40Z")
Indistinct videos show that catastrophic structural failure occurred before impact, but no indication yet of the cause. > **[Small plane crashes into house in California 1 + 4 fatalities - PPRuNe Forums](https://www.pprune.org/accidents-close-calls/618010-small-plane-crashes-into-house-california-1-4-fatalities.html)** > > Accidents and Close Calls - Small plane crashes into house in California 1 + 4 fatalities - Various media reporting a small plane, possibly Cessna 414 crashed into a house in California killing the pilot and 4 occupants of the house. It appears that... ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/4 "2019-02-04T17:58:51Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Indistinct videos show that catastrophic structural failure occurred before impact, but no indication yet of the cause. > > [Small plane crashes into house in California 1 + 4 fatalities - PPRuNe Forums](https://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/618010-small-plane-crashes-into-house-california-1-4-fatalities.html) Interesting. [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdvXbkTZwyY&feature=youtu.be) is a direct link to the YouTube video. I couldn’t get full screen on the pprune link. In my non-expert opinion, it looks like the failure of one of the wings. Since fuel is carried in the wings, that would explain the large pre-crash fire. But assuming the crash was caused by a catastrophic structural failure, what caused it? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/5 "2019-02-04T18:01:35Z")
There’s also a brief glimpse on twitter [https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1092205308338876416](https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1092205308338876416) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/6 "2019-02-04T18:24:03Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > There’s also a brief glimpse on twitter > > [https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1092205308338876416](https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1092205308338876416) Looks like the starboard wing outboard of the engine had separated from the aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/7 "2019-02-04T18:48:36Z")
It has been very stormy. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/8 "2019-02-04T20:02:12Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/9 "2019-02-04T22:56:10Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > No telling what brought it down, but [here](https://www.aopa.org/go-fly/aircraft-and-ownership/aircraft-fact-sheets/cessna-414) is some information about the Cessna 414: > > [And:](http://articles.latimes.com/1989-04-01/local/me-962_1_engine-failure) > So on one hand, the Cessna 414 has a history of problematic engines. On the other hand, the Cessna 414 had the lowest fatal accident rate in 1989. > > Another issue is that there was an [AD for cracked spar cap](https://www.cessnaflyer.org/knowledge-base/aviation-alerts/item/1031-ad-2018-03-03-400-series-twin-cessna-spar-inspection.html): > > Right now, just from the article, we have no evidence of why the aircraft crashed. I would be interested in reading the NTSB report when it comes out. Thanks for that Johnny, I was hoping you would weigh in. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/10 "2019-02-04T23:25:49Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Thanks for that Johnny, I was hoping you would weigh in. Given the footage posted by **Riemann** , it looks to me – in my non-expert opinion, and without any evidence but the video – that an engine failure is less likely, and that the aircraft suffered a catastrophic structural failure. Of course, a CSF can be caused by improper response to a failed engine. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/11 "2019-02-04T23:30:03Z")
Given the weather, a structural failure could quite plausibly result just from loss of control / attempt to recover control in IMC. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/12 "2019-02-04T23:33:14Z")
Sure seems like the wing snapped off and the fuel line rupture somehow was ignited. That’s after seeing the videos and noting what **Johnny** mentioned in post #4 about the fuel tanks being in the wings. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/13 "2019-02-05T00:31:24Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Given the weather, a structural failure could quite plausibly result just from loss of control / attempt to recover control in IMC. **Channing Idaho Banks** said it was stormy down there. I haven’t heard how violent they were/are. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/14 "2019-02-05T03:05:18Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Interesting. > > [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdvXbkTZwyY&feature=youtu.be) is a direct link to the YouTube video. I couldn’t get full screen on the pprune link. PPRuNe doesn’t support full screen video links apparently. You can go direct to YouTube by clicking on the word “YouTube” on the video though (just in case you didn’t know that and had done a separate search.) Nothing to add on the accident itself. Nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/15 "2019-02-05T03:15:32Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > PPRuNe doesn’t support full screen video links apparently. You can go direct to YouTube by clicking on the word “YouTube” on the video though (just in case you didn’t know that and had done a separate search.) I did a right-click and selected Get video URL. 😉 > [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Nothing to add on the accident itself. Nasty. It was. And the Cessna 414 has been a favourite twin since I was a kid. (Love the tail.) I’ve never been in one. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/16 "2019-02-05T03:43:10Z")
Here’s another video, notable mainly for the clear audio of the final few seconds. You hear the crazy whine of a prop as it overspeeds. This a twin, right? I’m not exactly sure what happened, the prop whine abruptly stops - apparently just before impact - I think I saw a photo of a separated prop in a driveway in one of the news reports. [https://video.nest.com/clip/64a943efd2854b6bbabf56d7b337d5ab.mp4](https://video.nest.com/clip/64a943efd2854b6bbabf56d7b337d5ab.mp4) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/17 "2019-02-05T03:55:12Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Here’s another video, notable mainly for the clear audio of the final few seconds. You hear the crazy whine of a prop as it overspeeds. This a twin, right? I’m not exactly sure what happened, the prop whine abruptly stops - apparently just before impact - I think I saw a photo of a separated prop in a driveway in one of the news reports. > > [https://video.nest.com/clip/64a943efd2854b6bbabf56d7b337d5ab.mp4](https://video.nest.com/clip/64a943efd2854b6bbabf56d7b337d5ab.mp4) You can see a fireball in the reflection of the wet bricks before anything hit the ground, & it looks like two separate impacts on the ground, which goes along with the ‘it broke up in mid-air’ thought. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/18 "2019-02-05T03:56:52Z")
I don’t suppose a small plane like this has data recorders? ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/19 "2019-02-05T04:04:40Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Here’s another video, notable mainly for the clear audio of the final few seconds. You hear the crazy whine of a prop as it overspeeds. This a twin, right? I’m not exactly sure what happened, the prop whine abruptly stops - apparently just before impact - I think I saw a photo of a separated prop in a driveway in one of the news reports. > > [https://video.nest.com/clip/64a943efd2854b6bbabf56d7b337d5ab.mp4](https://video.nest.com/clip/64a943efd2854b6bbabf56d7b337d5ab.mp4) Wow, that’s rough. Conditions were not good in SoCal Sunday, low ceilings, wind, lots of rain. That prop whine makes me wonder about a loss of control in the clouds followed by a graveyard spiral. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952/20 "2019-02-06T02:15:01Z")
Turns out the pilot was from up around my neck of the woods. Showed pictures of the crash on the news. Weird how the main fuselage was ‘relatively’ intact. I would have suspected nothing would have been recognizable. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/la-plane-crash/828952.md?page=2)