Cessna 340A suffers fatal crash at Gillespie Airfield (Santee, CA)

The sole pilot onboard and a UPS Truck driver received fatal injuries.
Rest in peace.
METAR KSEE 111855Z 20012G17KT 10SM BKN027 19/13 A2980=
11/OCT/2021
Cessna 340A performing flight from Yuma to Montgomery had been cleared to ILS 28R circle to land 23 when the aircraft deviated off course and descended below minimum altitude. The aircraft fatally impacted the ground of a neighborhood in Santee, CA.

[@VASAviation]

Leave your condolences here, please.

[@4rnrhvy994]

Terrible loss, RIP.

[@shashankappala]

Fly high pilot

[@haraldlorentzen40]

RIP pilot and truck driver.

[@virginiatyree6705]

May rhey RIP. v

[@Viqer_Fell]

RIP

[@USMCArchAngel03]

The ATC picked that this guy was struggling right away. He gave clear and concise instructions when things got frantic. I don't know what else he could have done. Must be utterly heartbreaking to be involved in something like this.

[@chipcity3016]

I agree, but I think ATC would regret not helping him correct his ILS approach rather than sending him back into IMC with rising terrain. Its clear to me that IMC conditions have seen this pilot lose his spacial awareness and his life. Where as a relatively small correction to the left of track would have seen him continue his approach in VMC. The pilot's voice was giving clues he was uncomfortable. As was ATC's once they'd sent him into IMC.

[@manusoftar]

yet, the controller didn't show any emotion when the helicopter pilot said that the airplane crashed... I was expecting something like an "Oh my God" or something like that from the ATC, but nothing, he just kept talking with other pilots like nothing happened...

[@USMCArchAngel03]

@@manusoftar You'd call that professionalism.

[@lightwalker222]

@@manusoftar He probably said his "Oh Fuck" type of stuff off the radio. He continued to do his best to look out for the safety of the other pilots who were still relying on him

[@nativeafroeurasian]

@@manusoftar think he was busy coping with the other planes. Doesn't help much to stress but rather to keep calm for the moment at least.

[@donbosco0101]

I was on an IFR cross country flight with my student to KSEE. I heard 22G came on the frequency on SoCal and switched, and heard him disappear while controller was trying his best to reestablish communication and heard the “a plane crashed into the houses” part. My student and I literally heard someone died on frequency and our hearts sunk. I had to tell my student to just fly the plane I’ll do all the programming for the approach. We were sent to Montgomery. I had to keep my composure and keep my student calm in deep imc. I will never forget this. RIP Doctor.

[@DickDangerMoto]

I'm sorry that you had to go through that man. I just got into aviation and taking my first discovery flight this Saturday here in Riverside, Ca. I'm not going to let this incident hinder my training. But it is an eye-opener for sure.

[@HalfShelli]

I’m so sorry you and your student had to witness this. I can’t imagine how a CFI helps a student through something like that, especially when you have your own emotions to deal with. Do they provide you with any training on this situation?

[@ItWasAllADream66]

:(

[@amanrehman8281]

The scary part is that the ATC knowing a bird just went down, has to continue guiding other aircrafts without panicking or causing worry to other aircrafts. They must be difficult. Man their job is so so challenging.

[@AccidentalGenius158]

Yeah, I was at least expecting a reaction but then also the atc has to keep doing his job

[@ashmar6204]

Seems like this doctor was an experienced pilot who regularly flew this route as a commute back and forth to one of the hospitals he worked at (25 flights since 7/19). He possessed a commercial license, multi-engine rating, instrument certification, and also first class medical certificate, which he passed last year. He owned multiple aircraft, including an aerobatics aircraft, it seems. He was meticulous about maintenance. One of his teenaged sons is also a pilot. He seemed disoriented, so you wonder about something medical. People who knew him say he speaking abnormally/sounded strange in the atc communications.

[@WBTravels]

True and in that case you wonder why he didn't tell the ups driver to take the controller, even if he didn't know how they could teach and and it would be a safe outcome for both of em

[@GoneDownOnMe]

it sounds like stroke, but of course we can only speculate

[@ashmar6204]

@@WBTravels the ups driver was not a passenger, but a person making deliveries on the ground.

[@Techie1224]

@@WBTravels Lmao

[@lolbots]

yeah i thought he was an foreign student pilot, didn't seem to understand english

[@RockBand2Freak78]

I'm a ups driver, this crash claimed the life of a fellow driver that day. According to reports the driver was pulling up to a stop sign when the plane first struck his vehicle before impacting two homes. Condolences to the families affected, the driver, the pilot, and the families involved

[@HalfShelli]

I’m really sorry. This must be hard on the whole UPS cadre of drivers - I mean, it’s not exactly a known occupational hazard. I hope UPS is being supportive to you all, and especially to Steve’s family. Thanks for the important work you do, especially during this pandemic!

[@sorbabaric1]

The air traffic controller did everything he could. He gave simple & clear directions, repeating & emphasizing climb. Condolences to those who lost loved ones and friends.

[@deekamikaze]

The only spot I noticed a discrepancy was when he told him to level off and then climb immediately. The pilot didn't seem like a native English speaker and probably got confused. Either way I'm not sure how he could have flown into houses if it was VFR. I also don't know the area though.

[@SpicyTrifongo]

@@deekamikaze "The pilot didn't seem like a native English speaker and probably got confused." That is not at all an excuse. English is the lingua franca of the aviation world.

[@eaglen00b]

@@deekamikaze If a pilot has no functional grasp of the English language, he/she has no business in the cockpit at the controls of an aircraft!!!!!!

[@kennyr5906]

He was a doctor though, I'd be worried if he didn't have a basic understanding of english

[@BK-uy9nj]

@@deekamikaze literally zero reason to think he didnt understand english, very likely he had a medical emergency

[@blancolirio]

Thanks Victor I tried pulling this together, it's a tremendous amount of work! Stby for an update!

[@zidoocfi]

Juan, I would be very interested in your take on whether this might be a vacuum pump failure.

[@johndemas4491]

Thanks Juan, very interested in hearing your thoughts on this one. Seems very strange. See you here.

[@mikek5298]

It's not a contest.

[@hscollier]

I was just thinking, “Juan will be on this.” and looking forward to the update.

[@michaelmartin5453]

@@mikek5298 well said.

[@bigmotter001]

Wow the controller did everything he could to try and avoid this fatal accident! Take care.

[@thereissomecoolstuff]

Certainly above and beyond

[@falcon759]

@@thereissomecoolstuff Actually, he did precisely what he's paid to do and what any controller would do.

[@mtkoslowski]

Pilot error. RIP

[@magmax7141]

@@mtkoslowski Not sure what the cause was. He confirmed the directions a couple of times. Possibly having flight control issues and never reported it.

[@EncrypticMethods]

@@magmax7141 you can tell the pilot of N7022G was distressed in his voice from the moment of the first readback. Something was wrong.

[@jerodcutrano8924]

I work at the Tower in Yuma. I hear this guy always out on the airfield for the past 3 years and I’m surprised to hear he was the one involved in this crash. Oh my Gosh.

[@AndrewFremantle]

I don't see anything the controller could possibly have done differently. Doesn't change the fact this must be just about the worst day at the office anyone could have.

[@karlmarx2590]

I can't belive what he's going through right now.

[@clarencethomasisthegoat]

Only thing I saw was: I would've asked him if he had the field in sight and cleared for visual 23 instead of resequencing. Obviously an instrument rated pilot should be able to take a go around/resequence so nothing on the controller. I'd just rather get rid of the traffic.

[@marcel1416]

Only thing I would suggest to the controller was at 3:14 not to say "just level off the plane" and thereafter "climb up to 5000ft". Slightly contradicting phraseology - I'm sure the controller knew it immediately after he said it (by the slight mumble) - but from context it was pretty cleare the controller wanted him to climb. Would be interesting to know if that was a VFR or IFR flight. Maybe the pilot got disoriented - who knows... I don't really like to speculate, that what the NTSB is there for...

[@DogTog]

@@clarencethomasisthegoat It was a clear day below about 6000', so he had to have the field in sight. He flew this airplane into this airport "hundreds of times" according to his brother. The low quality doorcams captured the crash from over 1 mile away, so visibility was not an issue. I think he was having a stroke or something like that.

[@sakumisan]

@@DogTog It wasn't clear, it was broken layer sub 3000ft

[@TheGospelQuartetParadise]

Condolences to the families of Dr. Sugata Das, the pilot, and Steve Kreuger, the UPS delivery driver who was on his regular route. Also prayers for speedy recoveries to those injured on the ground.

[@MrEZEMN]

Air Traffic Controllers also victims in crashes. Much respect to ATCs!

[@patricksmith2553]

Yeah sounds like the pilot had spacial disorientation and or medical issues and thought down was up, similar to what happened to the helicopter pilot in the Kobe Bryant incident. Maybe it was mechanical in the end, but he certainly was descending when he thought he was climbing. Sad.

[@sqwk2559]

@@patricksmith2553 you’re armchair opinion is worthless and totally inappropriate at this time.

[@kevinmoore4887]

The ATC sounded very professional right to the end. I can see feeling bad, but not responsible.

[@davebartosh5]

@@patricksmith2553 I saw the AOPA initial report. A couple of people mentioned medical issues. I heard of none in the data. He was in and out of low clouds. Spatial disorientation most likely. He thought he was climbing when he was not. ATC was trying to keep him clear of hills in the area. There was also some turbulence in the route. This aircraft has wingtip fuel tanks which can also be tricky to manage weight and handling, but he was very experienced with his plane.

[@bingosunnoon9341]

@@sqwk2559 My armchair opinion is that it's the same thing that killed Jim Croce and his band in a Beech 18 single pilot IFR.

[@joemeyer6876]

It is commendable procedure that the supervisor took over the instant the plane crashed; the controller (any controller) would be devastated. RIP UPS.

[@spudgamer6049]

It is also SOP. Controllers on duty when a significant accident happens are supposed to be relieved asap, in part for exactly the reason you mention.

[@asho1735]

that wasnt a controller switch though on the vasa clip. It was a different frequency, KSEE tower.

[@wintercomesearly]

It's very sad. ATC tried so hard to bring him in safely.

[@Falcon2.39-1]

Interesting didn’t know that

[@morganghetti]

Supervisors dont work traffic and definitely wouldn't have taken over an emergency situation.

[@yunak9665]

My deepest condolences to all families and friends of the pilot and UPS driver.

[@robertbell6]

So sad, condolences to those onboard and the people impacted on the ground.

[@realjohnald]

to the controller too. can't imagine the mental state they're in.

[@badboy10350]

Solo pilot I think.

[@curtistyler9991]

"Impacted", I think it a bit to early for this kind of levity.

[@bigharrykochenbauls4567]

The ground was probably the most impacted for sure

[@badboy10350]

@UCTMD6WmW6f3ja_-TM4DvfbA just pilot spacial disorientation.

[@virginiatyree6705]

You're fast with the upload of this tragic event. May they RIP. Positive thoughts & warm feelings to the families & friends. Thanks for posting. v

[@doowop54]

So sorry to see this - it really sounds like the pilot became confused - the controller did everything he could

[@freednighthawk]

The course deviation and the somewhat slurred speech, as well as the confusion indicate to me a possible stroke.

[@jase9951]

Pfizer strikes again

[@yamkaw346]

@@jase9951 bruh

[@bingosunnoon9341]

Sounds like the pilot became dead.

[@miarahim]

Must’ve been his second Moderna/ Pfizer shot.

[@michaelgow7461]

You could hear that the helicopter pilot was very shaken up by what he just witnessed

[@TrekzoneMedia]

I can only imagine what that controller is going through right now. He tried so desperately to avoid this incident, but despite everything the pilot lost his life. The NTSB investigation will hopefully shed light on the cause of this fatality.

[@RogerAlan]

The DTSB will have a report out faster.

[@richf4222]

@@RogerAlan I’m sure it will be full of assumptions as usual

[@dfor]

Based on the fact that the pilot seemed to be reading everything back correctly, it may have been anything from instrument failure to a part failure that caused him to be off course at first and descend when he tried to ascend.

[@thetalesofdaneandco]

As commented above, the pilot was slurring his speech and seemed to be disoriented about his altitude multiple times. Medical seems to be the most likely cause.

[@ashmar6204]

@@thetalesofdaneandco yes coworkers say he did not sound like himself at all.

[@chrisk2097]

Hey man I just wanted to say I appreciate you doing this. Good work.

[@mapleleafaviation304]

Thanks for pulling this together, I just realized this was the same news yesterday I had while watching CP24 here in Toronto, Canada and then hearing bout this plane crash in California right in this area. I’m glad you did the effort to see how this can be recreated, and I am confident a conclusion will bring up soon during the investigation

[@foxiedogitchypaws7141]

Thank you Victor for all your work you do on difficult video's.

[@george94065]

Thank you for your consistently good work. ..this was a tough one

[@jroar123]

Dr. Sugata Das had taken this route many times. He knew the airport and his aircraft. There was no Mayday and no indication anything was wrong from the pilot. Air traffic control was the primary indicator that something was wrong. He desperately tried to get him to Climb to no avail. I don’t know for sure but sounds like a medical emergency. Off auto and he missed the localizer. Then missing altitude on go around until we heard nothing from him. The one photo of the aircraft spiraling in with the aircraft 90 degrees wing up to port might indicate that he last conciseness. I’m guessing and feel really bad about this tragic lose. My prayers are with the family tonight.

[@maxsmith695]

Nope, pilot error.

[@Chellz801]

He was pitching the plane nose down when he was supposed to be climbing. He said multiple times that he was climbing but he wasn’t at all. I think in this high stress he was disoriented. It’s a horrible situation all around, Rest In Peace to everyone who lost their lives and peace to their loved ones and that controller who no doubt feels horrible.

[@kdub1666]

He quickly responds to ATC but sounds distracted. Could speculate about an instrument error or spatial disorientation. He seemed to be trying to solve a problem and apparently had no declaration.

[@maxsmith695]

@@kdub1666 - I agree with those experienced pilots who are of the opinion this plane was a difficult one to operate in IFR conditions once AP is disconnected and the task of flying it became too much for him.

[@HalfShelli]

@@maxsmith695 For having god-like omniscience, you’re really kind of a douche, Max.

[@BCammie2]

So sad. Thinking of everyone involved in this tragedy. To me the pilot sounded very stressed and unsure of himsef basically from the start of his approach.

[@hostrauer]

He was definitely distracted or preoccupied with something. I have to wonder if he was having a medical emergency of some kind and just didn't realize the severity of it. We'll have to wait for the NTSB report to find out. RIP to both victims.

[@davidwebb4904]

I feel bad for the UPS guy.

[@nerysghemor5781]

It almost sounds like he could've been having a medical emergency. :-(

[@ridernotrunner]

Hard one to watch. Definitely seemed like spatial disorientation at a minimum. Somehow he was descending when he thought he was climbing, even though he should have had good visual conditions under the 2,700 ft ceiling. The investigation will be an interesting one.

[@deeanna8448]

Definitely stressed. Blancolirio's suspicion was task saturation and spatial disorientation.

[@tylerwisniowski5825]

This hits home I'm a controller in san Diego and just hearing familiar c/s makes this sobering

[@MrKeserian]

Was Raider 47 a military flight? I heard he was using TACAN, so I'd assume so.

[@ZeroSpawn]

2:13 should be *3800. Thank you for the upload! Keep grinding these awesome videos for us!

[@stephen3762]

the odds of getting hit by a plane while on the ground must be astronomical.

[@LordBaldur]

But not impossible

[@fuckyomamafuckyosisterfuck6136]

About the same as Mary Swanson, ACTUALLY dating Lloyd Christmas

[@fuckyomamafuckyosisterfuck6136]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/naLHf5huqpJ9qck

[@bragr_]

Even if the odds are 1:100,000,000 per year that still means at least 3 people a year in the US, and 70+ around the world.

[@sw01ller]

@@fuckyomamafuckyosisterfuck6136 what all this one in a million talk eh!!

[@arnoldsherrill6305]

I had epilepsy and had seizures as a teenager it's very easy to lose awareness of your situation during a seizure or during a stroke part of you understands what's happening but you lose the ability to coherently respond to what you're hearing. You basically focus on the last thing you heard. Everything else. Sounds like static to you as far as you are concerned during that time my condolences to family of the pilot ., as well as family of the UPS employee whose delivery vehicle was hit as a result of the aircraft hitting the house

[@HobbitHobbit]

So sorry for the loss of life of all involved. Kudos for ATC for trying everything in his power to keep 22G safe. Through NTSB, may we learn from this so it does not happen again. Thoughts to all impacted by this.

[@preciousnic1974]

Doubtful that the NTSB report will stop anyone from having a medical emergency. An accident like this can and will happen again. The only thing we can learn from this is that the human body can and will fail and sometimes at the least desired times.

[@mrhanky5851]

Usually I watch videos from this channel for the spectacle of radio arguments but this is very sad 😕 I hope his family finds peace

[@theHDRflightdeck]

I leave this here: “Whenever we talk about a pilot who has been killed in a flying accident, we should all keep one thing in mind. He called upon the sum of all his knowledge and made a judgment. He believed in it so strongly that he knowingly bet his life on it. That his judgment was faulty is a tragedy, NOT stupidity. Every instructor, supervisor, and contemporary who ever spoke to him had an opportunity to influence his judgment, so a little bit of all of us goes with every pilot we lose.” - ANONYMOUS

[@theHDRflightdeck]

@@JB-yb4we Yes, acts of terrorism are excluded.

[@theHDRflightdeck]

@@JB-yb4we 9/11 was an act of terrorism.

[@theHDRflightdeck]

@@JB-yb4we i have very little information about this. It could be loss of control due to entering IMC. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@theHDRflightdeck]

@@sncy5303 We’ll have to wait and see.

[@igvc1876]

@@JB-yb4we if you think about it - there isn't actually free will, it's an illusion. If you were in the shoes of any other person, including those who committed heinous crimes, you would do exactly the same thing. Doesn't mean we shouldn't imprison such people to protect society, but it's questionable to judge someone for something they have no real control over.

[@seldoon_nemar]

I really wish we had a little more lead-in on the coms. To me, his first call at 0:28 sounds like he was strong and confident, but then progressively got more and more shaky and unsure of his situation... even by the radio calls at 1:00 he's confused

[@sunnyscott4876]

So sad. We had a very similar crash in a residential neighborhood where I live. Leaves everyone shaken and saddened. ❤💛❤

[@kevinallen1699]

Saw many already but we were waiting for yours.

[@markkimball1569]

Raider 47 was my sons aircraft he was in R seat I think , I had only found out after we spoke about the crash , me being a ff medic it always keeps me thinking in how to do our jobs better. He is a good Usmc pilot and a squared away man over all ! Atc has a tough job 4 sure bless the family of this Md ! 🇺🇸.

[@hack1n8r]

Rest in peace, 22G pilot. Sad condolences to his family & friends -- he will no doubt be sorely missed. In reading other's comments, there's a reoccurring opinion that he possibly was in a medical situation when he went down. Given his aviation history, it seems like he was both qualified and accomplished, and given that, according to others who knew him, he had flow this specific circling procedural approach before, he was both familiar and experienced with this approach & landing. With those givens, we can rule out unfamiliarity. Also given that this was an IFR flight, it's highly unlikely that 22G was attempting to clear the cloud base to do the approach and landing. With the currently available information, and assuming that the plane was mechanically sound, I tend to agree with the notion that something medical happened to him, causing him to lose control. He clearly was unable to correctly read back his approach and landing clearance, and appeared to be situationally confused. He did attempt to follow the controller's instructions, and even started to climb when instructed. He even correctly read back his altitude, but shortly thereafter he succumbed and lost the battle. The very fist hint that something was wrong was when he stumbled in his clearance readback, followed by the course deviation. I pray that the NTSB gets their act together and quickly solves the cause of this very sad accident. Kudos to the controller for doing everything in his power to keep 22G out of trouble. Again, many condolences to family and friends.

[@lockergr]

Unfortunately we don't just get to rest in the astral plane, not unless we assert our sovereignty and don't get sucked up into the reincarnation soul trap. If you do it's "soul school" for you.

[@golightly5121]

Unfortunately, probably many more to come, from the severe adverse effects o& the deadly shot.

[@maxsmith695]

The only one who needed to get their act together was Maverick. And he failed. NTSB is fine.

[@vanessaruiz4705]

@@golightly5121 thank you. Many people get upset when we say it because they dont want to know but this is the truth. Many reports of strokes, sudden deaths and heart issues lately on people that were perfectly healthy before, even on teenagers.

[@golightly5121]

@@vanessaruiz4705 : This is a planned genocide and the next target are the children. The blood and immune system of anyone who has gotten it is destroyed. I really am heartsick over this.

[@doghouse0872]

Rip steve the ups driver that died in his truck😢😢

[@user-mj9ti4zz8c]

This hit me hard, first because I grew up in Santee, and this crash was only a few blocks from my high school. Many years ago a shooting occurred at the school which left two dead. Things like this do hurt.

[@simonhutchings6256]

Such a sad loss , RIP gentleman 🙏

[@pfsantos007]

Very sad. RIP to all including family and friends.

[@tristqnejdjeh7278]

Damn. Crazy to hear this after seeing all of it a while back. RIP

[@simpilotirl1954]

Very Sad!.... my thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy! 😔

[@thatguyfromthatthing4366]

02:34 - Below MVA, my heart dropped :(. Almost every single instruction included an instruction to climb, and it was accepted by the pilot. The urgency in action wasn't there.

[@Austin326]

Rest In Piece to my fellow UPSer

[@Chellz801]

He was clearly disoriented and stressed. Rest In Peace to him and the UPS driver who was killed I hope their families can heal from this tragedy. He was in a very hard situation to get out of. It’s a sad situation all around.

[@Oldguysrock1969]

Thanks for the hard work you do to keep pilots informed.

[@rubenvillanueva8635]

Kudos to the controller, stayed focused on 22G, but pilot did not heed the need to climb.

[@Sjsime827]

@Sophia Aubrey A postal worker died?!!!

[@billglaser]

What gets to me is that he’s instructed to climb and responds he’s climbing while I and this poor controller watch that radar bug tick down and down until L.O.S…. How very heart breaking. My condolences to all people involved with this horrible accident and I hope the NTSB can get to the cause sooner rather than later for the victims.

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

Fly high, Dr. Das.

[@webcucciolo]

Disorientation in VFR (accident video looks VFR, I might be wrong though) is rare, but can happen. Another cause other than medical condition can be any distraction in the cockpit, say for example he was using a tablet for the ILS approach and it turned off and he tried to get his paper charts. He sounds a lot like me when I'm overwhelmed and/or slightly behind the airplane and asking questions to be sure that I'm aware of the big picture, the clearance I received, and my current status. For example, the way he reads back the clearance, the initial deviation and then the question about being cleared for 23 makes me think that he wasn't used to an ILS approach on a runway with circling to a different runway 🤔 Can be a variety of reason, we will know in a few months from NTSB and hopefully we'll learn something useful. Sad 😔

[@boondockunlocked2995]

At 2:12 didn't ATC say climb to 3,800? Hard to hear

[@mikesparks3216]

Plus he was still above 2800 ft, only makes sense.

[@EvanBear]

Yes, 3,800 not 2,800.

[@keithlewis9691]

He did say 3800. And the pilot read back 3800. The captions are wrong.

[@boondockunlocked2995]

@@keithlewis9691 I thought so

[@hscollier]

Sounded like he was mentally behind his aircraft and the situation the whole time. Very sad to hear the last words of a pilot as they struggle to handle a situation. It’s hard on the controllers who can only do so much, knowing a bad situation is developing. Condolences to all involved.

[@PMMM9]

The pilot was completely behind the airplane and overwhelmed by the workload. He seemed overly focused on the comms and lost sight of flying and positional awareness.

[@zbeast]

sounds like a medial issue... not a very complex environment and it was a vfr day.. turning and flying a heading... behind or not is basic... I thought it was and imc spin in then I saw the video of the day.

[@TheDamnoranges]

Nah. Health is more like it…incapacitation of some sort…stroke, cardiac incident perhaps. I say this because all indications on his track, altitude and airspeed out of Yuma appear quite normal. Things went to hell on his vector to intercept the localizer on a CAVOK day. Driving into the ground at 244 knots over 7000fpm doesn’t sound like someone just “getting behind” on flying a performance twin.

[@CharlieFoxtrot00]

@@TheDamnoranges it wasn’t CAVOK, it was MVFR at best. His intercept for the localizer broke off because he seemed to be confused about how to execute the circle-to-land for 23. This is supported by his communication to that effect. The resultant deviation took him toward rising terrain and ATC got involved. The loss of situational awareness, combined with putting him solidly in the altitude range the clouds were at, possibly reconfiguring (from approach to climb), induced spatial disorientation. There were multiple times he could have saved it, but he (rightfully) got pushed to change altitude again and again, and by that point, could not execute the basic attitude flying necessary, for whatever reason. Could be medical, could be mechanical, but Occam’s Razor says spatial disorientation.

[@TheDamnoranges]

@@CharlieFoxtrot00 Occam's Razor, or a pseudo NTSB complex? The guy had flow the same approach multiple times according to family, friend and peer pilot comments. They all agree his speech was odd, unusually slurred and not like him at all. Also, you can see multiple video feeds showing the condition was definitely not MVFR.

[@Chaos4Eva1]

My condolences to him and the family... R.I.P.

[@astra1653]

That's so sad, one really wonders what went wrong. Condolences to the pilot's family. This also shows an example of when someone flying towards a Class D airspace might not get callback from the atc immediately, and why, unlike the guy from the other day, you don't just bust on it because you're impatient.

[@larrog8413]

It's amazing how calm they are, throughout something so horrifying. Condolences to the family

[@torgy3]

VASA any chance you can go back and pull up the ATC tapes from some of his recent flights to compare his interactions and call outs etc.

[@maxsmith695]

Next.

[@AdamCasada]

I concur, this would be extremely interesting

[@AdamCasada]

@@maxsmith695 wat? accidentally post a comment on the wrong post? lolz

[@maxsmith695]

@@AdamCasada thx.

[@N1120A]

The detail with the circle in that location is an excellent detail that I think a lot of folks don't quite understand

[@HalfShelli]

But the pilot did: that flight was his regular commute. I just read that he’d made the round trip 25 times just since late July!

[@byronharano2391]

I hope you later post the findings of the NTSB about this flight and possible cause for this pilot's behavior concerning non-compliance.

[@djenei2564]

So weird he kept saying “climbing”

[@Moadeeb_]

God bless that controller. 🙏 He did everything he could.

[@N1120A]

I've spoken to him many times. He's great

[@strnglhld]

@@N1120A I can’t imagine being ATC. Then again I crumble from stress after getting the wrong person’s mail.

[@twincessnapilot331]

I fly a virtually identical Cessna 340A frequently into Gillespie but sometimes into Montgomery. The terrain in the vicinity of both airports is terribly unforgiving to the north and east. All of the approaches into both airports have published missed approach procedures that include a westerly climb to 3,000 over the coastline. If you are flying an instrument approach into either airport and having any difficulties I suggest asking for and flying the published missed approach procedure to stay far far away from the nearby terrain to the north and east while you climb back up to a safe altitude. An unpublished missed approach procedure that includes a climbing u-turn into higher terrain may be more than a panicked and/or disoriented pilot can handle. I say this only to save future lives not to question what happened in this terrible tragedy.

[@Logjam5]

If that's the case, he should have been cleared to head that way by the controller, if there was no conflict.

[@kacperpawlowski1149]

Tragedy :( my condolences to the family.

[@KatTheFoxtaur]

My coworker lives in Santee and said that, according to the flight path that we all saw later, the plane flew _directly_ over his house (and was already falling out of the sky) RIGHT before it crashed only a mile away... My heart goes out to the pilot, the UPS driver, their families, as well as everyone who had property damage as a result of the plane crash.

[@Duden1337]

Why didn't he climb? why did he go off course? why didn't he declare emergency? So many questions.

[@davidbaldwin1591]

Some say a possible medical event. Review his initial contact in this video. You can hear hesitation. It appears again before he stops responding.

[@Duden1337]

@@davidbaldwin1591 A great point and thank you. I am guilty of overlooking pilot health/medical when planes go down.

[@javbw]

The pilot sounds very similar to a recent fatal crash where the pilot taking off at her home airport had a stroke/aneurism and turned directly into a mountain next to her airport.

[@savagegeek5000]

I think he probably got spatially disoriented and didn’t realize he was disoriented. Sounded like he thought he was climbing when he wasn’t so he was making incorrect inputs based off what his body was feeling and telling him instead of what his instruments were telling him

[@javbw]

@@savagegeek5000 If he was flying into Montgomery ( his home airport) and veered to the right, he was flying towards Cowles Mtn. He managed to fly past cowles mtn, down over a freeway, and flew down into a valley and crashed into homes at the bottom of the valley. It is really hard to get spatially disoriented at 2000 feet in that area when there is a giant mountain you are circling around for about half this video - with El Capitan. / Woodson / Iron mountain in your view off to the left. It is not impossible, but seems highly unlikely to lose spatial awareness in that area - it is extremely mountainous, Montgomery is on a flat mesa and Santee is jammed in the corner of a giant box (El Cajon). He went into and crashed in the box. It really seems like an incapacitation of some kind to me.

[@MrSixstring2k]

My condolences to the families and friends of all does affected.

[@radioack]

What does the little 'LA' in red above the aircraft mean? Where can I find other codes?

[@jodyolivent8481]

Low Altitude

[@hirisk761]

I saw some of the security camera footage. he came in at a steep angle at high speed and rolled over to the left. RIP to all the victims

[@AaronShenghao]

Possibly a stroke or brain aneurysm where he lost complete consciousness in the very end…

[@TrailerParkWeed]

@@AaronShenghao i would say a stall/spin. trying to bank at a steep angle while climbing and having the plane uncoordinated is not a good combination. I would say this pilot was very behind and stressed in this situation

[@friedclutch97]

@@TrailerParkWeed I saw the crash video. It does not look like he was spinning. Left wing low, no rotation, strait in.

[@TrailerParkWeed]

@@friedclutch97 yea i agree i didn’t watch the video when i commented that

[@LunaticTheCat]

@@TrailerParkWeed He may have been behind due to a medical emergency

[@mpk6664]

I don't know if anything has been determined, but it sounds like the pilot might've had a stroke or anxiety/panic attack. You can hear his breathing and the way he's talking sounds like something other happened than SI.

[@vanessaruiz4705]

Stroke caused by a clot, probably. Very common case nowadays due to the poison.

[@pesetamaya3509]

Our condolences go out to the friends and family our prayers are with them and the whole world

[@DSeptarov]

Damn, got my ppl out of KMYF and spent more than a year working as an A&P at KSEE field. That is a mountainous area. Sorry for everyone on board, controller was fighting all the way for them. That is so sad…

[@wbball15]

My sister's friend saw the crash from the ground.

[@LjL-Videos]

That controller sounds like he was already holding in tears before the airplane even crashed. He knew what was going to happen but didn't know how to get the pilot to understand it.

[@markh3684]

@2:15 ATC states "climb and maintain 3,800" (caption says 2,800) and pilot incorrectly repeats back 2,800..

[@randomguywhostoleallofyour88]

that pilot was definitely suffering something that incapacitated him right before that crash. So sad how a fatal health event such as incapacitation can become even more fatal and dangerous for the pilot and people unfortunate enough to get caught in the crash pathway. Sadly 2 others on the ground died as a result of this crash. My condolences to the family of the pilot and the others who lost their lives.

[@maxsmith695]

Nope.

[@timtmt522]

The pilot seems totally confused and lost maybe spatial disorientation or medical.

[@maxsmith695]

Yes.

[@friedclutch97]

This sounded medical IMO. He sounded like a confused student pilot.

[@iaf22]

Are we missing some audio?? when traffic inform about the crash, atc doesn't react... like nothing happened..

[@gregarious119]

Controller probably saw the target disappear from radar and his supervisor probably took over all coordination of EMS/Fire. With that many aircraft around and active, it was prudent for ATC to maintain order around the airspace. Definitely feel for the controller, did everything he could to prevent.

[@PistonsProps]

He is remaining professional keeping calm and collective. I am sure a lot is going on off the radio, but on the radio he still has other traffic to manage.

[@JoeRyMi]

Is there a final NTSB report available?

[@aBonecollector]

I don’t understand? It looked like 10 miles of visibility with some broken clouds at 2700ft. From what I read he had not only his private pilot but IFR rating? Any guesses on what went wrong here?

[@gusbailey68]

Good effort by ATC on this one.

[@Taylexwow]

The pilot sounds disoriented, or distracted on the comms.....maybe dealing with a plane issue they didn't advise of.....or having some sort of medical event. Sad for the pilot and the Postal Worker that died in this incident

[@naronwayne652]

Condolences to everyone involved.

[@joeljames9175]

What was the ceiling? Was he in IMC or visual when he deviated from the localiser? Surely if he was VMC it would have been better to remain visual. In any case this is difficult to watch. Condolences to everyone affected by this.

[@preciousnic1974]

The pilot was exhibiting the same speech pattern and word salad as the ATC controller at the Las Vegas tower awhile ago who was found to also be having a stroke. We (my wife and I) are nurses who have seen and heard these exact signs and symptoms of a person having a stroke. Classic textbook. No doubt that he was having a stroke.

[@ssnerd583]

That was what I was thinking when hearing the audio.....that or maybe carbon monoxide

[@billsmith5166]

Engine pitch doesn't seem to change.

[@billsmith5166]

@apple camjumper Yes, the speeds seemed tied to altitudes. I think he was going to the wrong airport.

[@BODYBUILDERS_AGAINST_FEMINISM]

Wow.. Really sad. Rest in peace.

[@rudranathtalukdar3196]

Very very sad to hear. No words

[@xSUICIDExlll]

Rest in peace Pilot and Driver.

[@Sugah_J]

Sad to hear this go down. Looks like a classic Spatial D accident to me.

[@SGTSnakeUSMC]

Yep.

[@kdub1666]

I agree.

[@SGTSnakeUSMC]

@@My_Fair_Lady Just returning the insult, and yeah I served as a Sgt and now am a pilot, how about you?

[@HalfShelli]

Y’all need to read the aviation bio of this pilot. Aside from the usual laundry list of ratings, this particular flight was instrument. And it was his regular commute: he’d flown it 25 times roundtrip since late July. But I can understand how an untrained person might come to and vehemently defend a spurious conclusion because they never checked any deeper into the facts.

[@Sugah_J]

@@HalfShelli there’s a difference between current and proficient. Just because he flew this route regularly doesn’t mean he was proficient in flying, let alone shooting approaches, in IMC. Not saying that he didn’t have a failure of some sort that may have led to the disorientation, but the odds are he got disoriented and lost control.

[@SOURAVBISWAS1991]

Very sad incident! My condolences to the families of the deceased. Any reason why the pilot could not follow the instruction given by the controller?

[@garrettdoran2664]

Can you do one of the the mid air crash at KCHD ?

[@almirria6753]

The pilot started drifting off course over the Imperial Sand Dunes with a drift to the south. He was supposed to be heading to San Diego. I have a feeling that there was a medical issue starting to take effect at that point, but the pilot did not verbalize it but tried to head to the closest air field to get help.

[@GT-mn3bx]

That is a long azz way with many airstrips in between, as well as military.

[@toddsdaler]

I agree. The pilot seems disoriented and didn’t fallow controller instructions. Was repeating instructions out of habit in a gibberish state. Perhaps going though a medical issue.

[@joemeyer6876]

Ive never heard a pilot read back instructions so fast in my life, he was not ‘ahead of the airplane’, i think he was dealing with something else physiological. Even cardiac surgeons have heart attacks. . .

[@CharlieFoxtrot00]

Al, his initial flight plan was BZA IPL direct KMYF, no airway as filed. The resulting track followed this exactly. His first turn many miles after IPL was a vector from ATC at 19:01:07Z: “N22G, fly heading 250, descend and maintain 7000.” Was there any indication or communication of him being off-course prior to that?

[@asho1735]

​@@toddsdaler if you gonna make that assumption it should be easy to pull one of the previous flights and compare if he sounds similar. may be he just talks that way on the radio

[@thedolphinDog]

Dr Das spent his entire life saving others (cardiologist) today he lost his. Please pray for His family and staff. I'm sure they will miss him so

[@Avidav]

What about the UPS driver he killed? Or his family?

[@vanessaruiz4705]

all his life until 2020. Yeah.

[@sizzelot]

Well it was confusing to me trying to figure out was he trying to land at Gillespie (KSEE) or Montgomery (KMYF). I wonder if the pilot was confused about that too.

[@sony3021]

Any chance there is anything from the crash that left KMWC out in Wisconsin yesterday?

[@ashmar6204]

Sad incident, the couple had just celebrated their 50th anniversary. People in the neighborhood credit the pilot with managing to avoid any houses.

[@sony3021]

@@ashmar6204 it is indeed. I live not far from there and work at the airport it departed from so it’s a bit close to home for sure. I’m just curious as to the reasoning.

[@ashmar6204]

@@sony3021 I used to live near there. There isn't much info in the atc transcripts I read because it was cutting out or something. I guess it was making a lot of noise before it crashed? I'm still wondering about the crash a couple weeks ago up by Rhinelander.

[@KikixPT]

00:57 here you can understand something was going on. Sad to see this story. Hope we understand what happened, so we can all learn with it.

[@kewkabe]

He was a little confused by the circle to land clearance (cleared 28L but circle to 23) because those kinds of approaches are pretty rare.

[@andij605]

@@kewkabe from other comments i gather he had flown this before

[@HalfShelli]

@@kewkabe Not only had he flown it before, it was his regular commute. I just read he made this exact same round trip 25 times since late July.

[@kewkabe]

@@HalfShelli And how many of those times were an ILS 28 circle to 23?? Probably zero. I was a controller in SoCal and 99.5% of the time the actives at MYF are 28. There was a freakish (for SoCal) weather system that day which had very strong winds out of the SW (rare for that area), plus the mountain wave action any time there are strong winds meant likely a lot of turbulence as he went over those hills on approach.

[@SneedChuck100]

I'll speculate, looks like he was behind the aircraft, lost situational awareness then entered IMC at 2700 all around the same time, ended up getting spatial disoriented. I looked and he received his commerical multi in 2014, so his instrument even further back, and with some minimal instrument training during Com Multi to carry over the rating. Most likely not proficient in instrument flight. Most likely entered some type of graveyard spiral (or a low alt stall if he broke the critical angle of attack, which I doubt happened, and he was doing 200 kts half the time) The pilot seems to stay in control of the aircraft below 2700, where the broken layer of clouds start, and once he tries to climb back into the clouds to get to the given alt, it seems he loses control and makes erratic descents, and loses directional control of the aircraft. Edit: After watching the crash video, it actually appears to be some sort of pilot incapacitation, he was in clear skies for atleast 20 seconds and took a unchanged trajectory towards the ground with clear visual references that he would be crashing soon.

[@c_rhynehardt]

Many victims here. Prayers for all involved.

[@wladmuir]

This is Montgomery Field in San Diego not Gillespie. Yeah, he crashed in Santee a few miles from Gillespie Field in El Cajon but he was trying to land at Montgomery. Gillespie is where the recent Learjet crashed trying to come in and land.