History
On April 20, 2022, at 1226 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 337, registration N143JB, was substantially damaged during an accident near Sylmar, California. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was being operated as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91.
Communications between the pilot and air traffic control indicated that shortly after departing runway 12 at Whiteman Airport (WHP) in Los Angeles, the pilot reported that the landing gear had not fully retracted. He requested to remain over the airport, intending to climb to 2,500 ft and circle. The controller approved a climb to 2,500 ft and instructed a left pattern. No further transmissions were received from the pilot.
ADS-B data showed the aircraft climbing to about 2,000 ft msl on a northwesterly heading, maintaining that altitude for about 1 minute 41 seconds, then making a left 90° turn. At 1226:12, the aircraft began descending from 1,900 ft. The last ADS-B point was recorded at 1226:19, 75 ft from the accident site at 1,500 ft.
Witness and Video Evidence
A witness reported seeing the aircraft descending nose-first at a very steep angle. Another witness observed the aircraft flying slowly, then performing a 180° turn, leveling momentarily, and nosediving. Security video near the site captured the impact, showing the aircraft rotating in a nose-down attitude just before striking the ground.
Wreckage and Impact
The aircraft came to rest on an embankment, wedged upright between two trees in a nose-low attitude, about 80 ft from a roadway. The left wing struck a fence before impact and remained near the top of the embankment. The rear engine and propeller assembly separated at the crankshaft flange and came to rest forward of the right wing; the forward propeller assembly also separated and was found beneath the engine.
Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to the control surfaces. Fuel odor was present; the left wing's inboard and outboard fuel tanks were breached, while the right inboard tank held fuel and its outboard tank was breached.
Postaccident examination of the airframe and engines found no mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The landing gear handle was found in the intermediate position. The nose and left main landing gear were extended; the right main landing gear had separated during the accident sequence, and its door actuators were in the extended position.
Medical and Toxicological Findings
An autopsy performed by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner determined the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, with the manner ruled as accident.
Toxicology tests by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected ethanol in the pilot's blood (65 mg/dL) and urine (133 mg/dL), and glucose in vitreous fluid (10 mg/dL). No drugs of abuse were found, and the ethanol was not attributable to postmortem production. Ethanol is a central nervous system depressant that impairs judgment, psychomotor function, and vigilance.