Current:Home > NewsInvestigators say weather worsened quickly before plane crash that killed 6 in Southern California-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Investigators say weather worsened quickly before plane crash that killed 6 in Southern California
View Date:2024-12-24 00:27:45
The weather was quickly worsening before a plane crashed in Southern California last month, killing all six people on board, federal investigators said Wednesday.
The National Transportation Safety Board issued a preliminary report on the July 8 crash near Murrieta, with new details that added to questions about whether the pilots could see the runway as they attempted to land.
The NTSB said the Cessna 550 business jet hit the ground 800 feet (240 meters) short of the runway threshold at French Valley Airport and caught fire.
The airport’s automated weather station recorded clear skies and visibility of 10 miles less than an hour before the crash, but 20 minutes later, there were clouds at 300 feet (90 meters), and visibility was down to three-quarters of a mile. The NTSB said visibility was just a half-mile in fog around the time of the crash.
The plane was making its second attempt to land after a missed approach, which usually happens when pilots can’t see the runway. Air traffic controllers gave the crew permission for the second attempt.
John Cox, a former airline pilot and now an aviation-safety consultant, said visibility must be a half-mile at big airports with bright runway lights. A smaller airport with less-powerful lighting makes it even harder to see the runway, he said.
Cox called it “a major error” that the private plane descended below the minimum height at which pilots must be able to see the ground at the airport.
“The fact that they were below minimums and landed short (of the runway) is evidence that they did not have the runway in sight,” he said.
Cox said the crew should have tried to land at a different airport.
The NTSB has not yet determined a cause for the crash. That will probably take a year or longer.
Two pilots and four passengers were returning from a 5-hour visit to Las Vegas when the crash occurred.
Local authorities have identified the pilots as Riese Lenders, 25, and Manuel Vargas-Regalado, 32; and the passengers as Abigail Tellez-Vargas, 33, Lindsey Gleich, 31, Alma Razick, 51, and Ibrahem Razick, 46.
Murrieta is about 80 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
veryGood! (65983)
Related
- How to protect your Social Security number from the Dark Web
- Multiple people dead after plane crash at Wright Brothers National Memorial’s First Flight Airport
- 3 easy mistakes can be deadly after a hurricane: What to know
- 'SNL' returns with Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz, Dana Carvey as President Biden
- Watch as dust storm that caused 20-car pileup whips through central California
- Ohio family says they plan to sue nursing home after matriarch's death ruled a homicide
- Bowen Yang Claps Back at Notion He Mocked Chappell Roan on SNL With Moo Deng Sketch
- Dragon spacecraft that will bring home Starliner astronauts launches on Crew-9 mission
- Caitlin Clark's gold Nike golf shoes turn heads at The Annika LPGA pro-am
- Liver cleanses claim they have detoxifying benefits. Are they safe?
Ranking
- Man Found Dead in Tanning Bed at Planet Fitness Gym After 3 Days
- 'Never gotten a response like this': Denial of Boar's Head listeria records raises questions
- Jordan Love injury update: Packers will start veteran quarterback in Week 4 vs. Vikings
- New rules regarding election certification in Georgia to get test in court
- Chet Holmgren injury update: Oklahoma City Thunder star suffers hip fracture
- Ciara Reveals How Her Kids Have Stepped Up With Her and Russell Wilson's Daughter Amora
- Josh Allen's fresh approach is paying off in major way for Bills
- The final day for the Oakland Athletics arrives ahead of next season’s move away from the Bay
Recommendation
-
2 dead in explosion at Kentucky factory that also damaged surrounding neighborhood
-
South Carolina power outage map: Nearly a million without power after Helene
-
A handcuffed Long Island man steals a patrol car after drunk driving arrest, police say
-
Death of Stanford goalie Katie Meyer in 2022 leads to new law in California
-
Celtics' Jaylen Brown calls Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo a 'child' over fake handshake
-
Death of Stanford goalie Katie Meyer in 2022 leads to new law in California
-
Why Lionel Messi did Iron Man celebration after scoring in Inter Miami-Charlotte FC game
-
Wyoming considers slight change to law allowing wolves to be killed with vehicles