Author Topic: C172 Midair over Santa Monica mountains, both departing KSMO  (Read 27829 times)

Offline uplink

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C172 Midair over Santa Monica mountains, both departing KSMO
« on: April 30, 2013, 03:09:56 PM »
Very Sad.    At 1:06pm N64030 requests a "Maintenance Box Pattern" and is cleared for departure. The track shows them doing a several patterns over the airport at about 2100'. Later at 1:39pm N64030 comes on the radio and she says "N64030 I think we'll make a right turn at the shoreline this time and go up the coast a bit".  

N4677V went straight up the coast after departing SMO, and appears to be an instructional flight.

(This is the KSMO audio only, both aircraft departed out of the Delta following this to the mountains north)

http://ktla.com/2013/04/29/plane-cra...#axzz2RtwWbqbl


My condolences to the families involved, RIP  :-(
« Last Edit: May 01, 2013, 06:58:03 AM by uplink »



Offline pdugganus

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Re: C172 Midair over Santa Monica mountains, both departing KSMO
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2013, 01:43:15 AM »
Was there any more to the recording?  It seemed ATC advised them properly of the traffic and at least one pilot had the other in sight.  I don't get how this happens with both on flight following.  Sad.

Offline uplink

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Re: C172 Midair over Santa Monica mountains, both departing KSMO
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2013, 01:50:14 AM »
The incident occurred in the Santa Monica mountains near Malibu Canyon after they left SMO's Class Delta and went north.  I don't think either had flight following, but can't say for certain.  I didn't hear SoCal hailing for either of them, (on my radio's at least.)  It is a local practice, and sightseeing area.  

UPDATE: Just went through the archives on one of my feeds, I found transmissions from N4677V at 3100' @ 4 minutes, and 3500' @ 1 minute prior to the crash, on the Malibu practice area frequency.  I amended the recording.
« Last Edit: May 02, 2013, 07:47:07 AM by uplink »

Offline shiller

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Re: C172 Midair over Santa Monica mountains, both departing KSMO
« Reply #3 on: July 21, 2014, 06:50:40 PM »
I have listened to the recording several times and believe the last transmission to say," We see traffic at Malibu, Traffic White Cessna at Malibu State Park, Three Thousand Five Hundred, Ahhh will pass to his left side".

Offline adanto6840

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Re: C172 Midair over Santa Monica mountains, both departing KSMO
« Reply #4 on: July 24, 2014, 11:09:29 AM »
Is there any more after this, reaction from the controller or anything?  How this occurred is somewhat baffling to me -- it sounds like at least one had the traffic in sight visually, if not both of them seeing each other, and the controller sure seemed like he was really on top of helping them maintain separation.  Sad. :(

Offline trichorse

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Re: C172 Midair over Santa Monica mountains, both departing KSMO
« Reply #5 on: July 25, 2014, 07:15:18 PM »
I think I read somewhere that small, single engine planes are really susceptible to being tossed around by wind gusts...if there was a student pilot and he was caught off guard by one, and lost control of the plane...well one could have slammed into the other as a result.

Offline uplink

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Re: C172 Midair over Santa Monica mountains, both departing KSMO
« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2014, 04:13:39 AM »
Just to clarify,  The "traffic in sight" reported was on the Tower frequency, and referring to a "circling aircraft", N64030 had already left the area to "go up the coast a bit".  A short while later it was making a return trip Eastbound along the top of the mountains when the collision occurred, according to the radar track.   The wreckage was in the mountains well north and outside of SMO towers airspace.

  I added the Practice area frequency at the end of this recording, in the minutes after SMO is done with them.  It is 122.775 from another one of my live feeds, it's usage is north of the SMO class Delta.  It is a CTAF, and the controller is not on this frequency.  It has the aircraft involved with instructors on board, (N4677V), the other aircraft is not heard on this frequency.   My scanner did not pick up advisories from the other aircraft.   "Semi Traffic and Malibu Traffic" is what you hear at the end of the recording, as many pilots use this verbage when using the frequency in this part of the practice area.

These accidents are rare, but the standard rule for pilots flying VFR is "see and avoid".   A very sad day, will wait for the official report.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2014, 04:49:15 AM by uplink »