SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday released a preliminary report of the small airplane crash that killed all six people aboard last month in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood.
The NTSB determined several factors that occurred prior to the crash including the pilot not discussing alternate airport weather conditions with the controller, lower than average elevation height during descent, as well as the destination airport’s weather data system and runway lights not working.
On May 21, a Cessna Citation S550 departed from Teterboro Airport (TEB) in Teterboro, New Jersey and landed at Colonel James Jabara Airport (AAO) in Wichita, Kansas. The aircraft then left during the early hours of May 22 for Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (MYF) in San Diego.
During the flight to San Diego, the pilot asked the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control (SOCAL TRACON) if they could assist in determining the weather conditions at MYF since MYF doesn’t operate from 6 p.m.- 7 a.m.
The controller with SOCAL TRACON provided the pilot the weather conditions at Marine Corp Air Station Miramar (NKS), located about four miles north of MYF, which was described as wind calm, ½ mile visibility and an indefinite 200-foot ceiling.
“The pilot then discussed alternate airport weather conditions with the controller in the event he
had to perform a missed approach. He stated he would notify SoCal TRACON of his selection
of an alternate airport, but did not do so during the remainder of the flight,” the NTSB report said.
When the airplane was at about 8,000 feet mean sea level (msl), the controller asked the pilot if he was going to “make your descent” and asked if he would like vectors to the south, in which the pilot replied, “I think we’ll be alright.”
About 2.9 nautical miles from the runway, the aircraft was flying at an altitude of about 1,190 feet Mean Sea Level (msl) over the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California, which has a minimum crossing altitude at or above 1,380 feet msl.
The airplane continued to descend at an altitude of about 464 feet msl, followed by the first identified point of contact (about 1.8 nautical miles (nm) from the runway) into power transmission lines about 90-95 feet above the ground, per NTSB.
The Runway Alignment Indicator (RAI) lights were also out of service at MYF, which have not been working since March 28, 2022, according to NTSB.
“The repairs of the affected RAI lighting components and replacement of the light system have been delayed awaiting completion of an environmental study. All other runway lighting was operable at the time of the accident,” the report said.
The airplane crash killed all six people aboard the aircraft, while eight people on the ground received minor injuries. One residential structure and 20 vehicles were damaged from the incident, the report said.
