NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on Fatal Plane Crash

By edhat staff

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report on the fatal airplane crash off the Goleta coastline that killed a Northern California woman last month.

While the report doesn’t list the cause of the crash, it does list the details and findings at the early stages of the investigation.

On Sunday, September 27, a Cessna T182T airplane sustained substantial damage when it crashed a few miles off Goleta Beach at 7:03 a.m. The flight departed Santa Barbara Municipal Airport for a cross-country flight to the Truckee-Tahoe Airport.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airplane departed runway 15L, established radio contact with Los Angeles Center departure control and turned a heading of 255 degrees with a climb to 8,000 ft above ground level (agl). The airplane then turned to the north, followed by a turn to the east and a rapid descent. Radio and radar contact were lost, and an alert notification was issued by the FAA. Wreckage and an oil slick were located approximately 2 miles from the airport in the Pacific Ocean by the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department. There were no mayday calls received by ATC from the pilot, according to the report.

Reported weather at the time of the accident was overcast skies at 900 ft and visibility 7 miles. Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department requested assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Dive unit to assist in the search for the pilot and airplane. The report states there was no fire or explosion in the plane’s wreckage.

The estimated depth of the wreckage was 200 ft and on Thursday, October 1, the pilot, and airplane were located and recovered. The sole victim, 61-year-old Deborah Nicholson from the Lake Tahoe area, was an experienced pilot who practiced estate law in Tahoe City for over 30 years, according to the Tahoe Daily Tribune.

Authorities have not yet given any indication of what might have caused the crash. It is under investigation by the NTSB which typically takes a year or more to release their full report including determining factors in such incidents.

September 27, 2020: