A twin-engine plane crashed into a San Diego suburb. An increasingly concerned air traffic controller advised the pilot several times to increase his altitude. This recording will be one of the evidence that federal investigators are looking at.
The Cessna 340 crashed into a UPS van and killed the driver. It then struck two homes in Santee just after noon on Monday, a suburb of 50,000 residents east of San Diego. When their home caught fire, the pilot, Dr. Sugata das, was killed and an elderly couple were left with severe burns. The second residence was not damaged in the accident.
Al Diehl is a former investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board. He said that Das recorded him trying to handle a major distraction or emergency on his own. This was in violation of the basic rule that pilots should always tell controllers everything.
Diehl stated that “The first thing you should do when you are in trouble is to call, climb, and confess” and that he didn’t do any of these three things. These are the basic rules flight instructors teach their students.
Diehl was a key contributor to the design of the Cessna cockpit. He said that the complex system in the twin-engine aircraft could make it difficult for pilots to make fatal mistakes.
Diehl stated that clouds and windy weather could have made it difficult for Das to control the aircraft. An autopsy will help determine if there was a medical emergency.
Robert Katz, a certified flight instructor said that he believed Das was “totally disoriented.” Katz stated that the clouds were so low that the pilot needed to use an instrument landing system when approaching.
Katz said that Katz believed he was confused at that point. Katz spoke to CBS8 in San Diego. “He doesn’t know which way to go.”
Jennifer Gabris, spokeswoman for the agency, said that an investigator from NTSB arrived on the scene of the crash Tuesday morning. She will review radar data and weather information as well as the pilot’s medical records.
Das was a Yuma Regional Medical Center employee and was flying to San Diego’s Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. He lived in San Diego. A controller at the air traffic control alerted Das shortly before the crash when the plane was less than a mile (0.8 km) from the runway.
LiveATC, which monitors and posts flight communications, recorded Das repeatedly warning him to climb higher in the sky. A C-130, which is a large military transport aircraft, was also overhead and could cause turbulence.
Das replied that he was aware.
Later, the controller can be heard saying, “It seems like you’re drifting right off course, are you correcting?”
“Correcting,” Das responds.
Das wants to know if he is cleared to fly on the runway. Das asks the controller if he has been cleared to fly.
Das says he is climbing. He is told by the controller to climb again and Das insists that he is climbing.
“Ok. It looks like you’re descending sir. The controller said, “I need to ensure you are climbing, and not descending.”
The controller then speaks with greater urgency.
He says, “Low altitude alert. Climb immediately. Climb the airplane.” “Please climb the plane.”
Officials from San Diego County’s medical examiners removed a gurney containing remains from the scene of Tuesday’s plane crash in Santee (Calif.). The pilot of a twin engine plane nose-dived into the San Diego suburb on Monday, despite the growing concern of an air traffic controller who kept reminding him to climb in altitude. This information will be examined by investigators who arrived on the scene on Tuesday.
Officials from San Diego County’s medical examiners removed a gurney containing remains from the scene of Tuesday’s plane crash in Santee (Calif.). The pilot of a twin engine plane, apparently in a panic, landed in this San Diego suburb on Monday. Despite being warned by an air traffic controller to climb higher, recordings show that the pilot did not heed his warnings. This information will be reviewed by investigators who arrived on the scene on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull).
SANTEE (Calif.) — A twin-engine plane crashed into a San Diego suburb. An increasingly concerned air traffic controller advised the pilot several times to increase his altitude. This recording will be part of the evidence that federal investigators are looking at Tuesday.
The Cessna 340 crashed into a UPS van and killed the driver. It then struck two homes in Santee just after noon on Monday, a suburb of 50,000 residents east of San Diego. When their home caught fire, the pilot, Dr. Sugata das, was killed and an elderly couple were left with severe burns. The second residence was not damaged in the accident.
Al Diehl is a former investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board. He said that Das recorded him trying to handle a major distraction or emergency on his own. This was in violation of the basic rule that pilots should always tell controllers everything.
Diehl stated that “The first thing you should do when you are in trouble is to call, climb, and confess” and that he didn’t do any of these three things. These are the basic rules flight instructors teach their students.
Diehl was a key contributor to the design of the Cessna cockpit. He said that the complex system in the twin-engine aircraft could make it difficult for pilots to make fatal mistakes.
Diehl stated that clouds and windy weather could have made it difficult for Das to control the aircraft. An autopsy will help determine if there was a medical emergency.
Robert Katz, a certified flight instructor said that he believed Das was “totally disoriented.” Katz stated that the clouds were so low that the pilot needed to use an instrument landing system when approaching.
Katz said that Katz believed he was confused at that point. Katz spoke to CBS8 in San Diego. “He doesn’t know which way to go.”
Jennifer Gabris, spokeswoman for the agency, said that an investigator from NTSB arrived on the scene of the crash Tuesday morning. She will review radar data and weather information as well as the pilot’s medical records.
Das was a Yuma Regional Medical Center employee and was flying to San Diego’s Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. He lived in San Diego. A controller at the air traffic control alerted Das shortly before the crash when the plane was less than a mile (0.8 km) from the runway.
LiveATC, which monitors and posts flight communications, recorded Das repeatedly warning him to climb higher in the sky. A C-130, which is a large military transport aircraft, was also overhead and could cause turbulence.
Das replied that he was aware.
Later, the controller can be heard saying, “It seems like you’re drifting right off course, are you correcting?”
“Correcting,” Das responds.
Das wants to know if he is cleared to fly on the runway. Das asks the controller if he has been cleared to fly.
Das says he is climbing. He is told by the controller to climb again and Das insists that he is climbing.
“OK. It looks like you’re descending sir. The controller said, “I need to ensure you are climbing, and not descending.”
The controller then speaks with greater urgency.
He says, “Low altitude alert. Climb immediately. Climb the airplane.” “Please climb the plane.”
The controller repeatedly exhorted the plane to climb to 5,000ft (1,524m). When it stopped at 1,500ft (457m), the controller said: “You seem to be descending again.
There is no answer.
Diehl noticed that the plane made a sudden turn to the right, as if trying switch to another airport closer to fix something. Das didn’t mention it to air traffic control.
KGTV-TV uploaded video it said it received from a viewer showing the plane arcing and then plunging into the neighborhood. A block away, residents reported that their homes were shaken by the loud crash.
Yuma Regional Medical Center’s staff had known Das since 2005, Dr. Bharat Muga, the hospital’s chief medical officer, stated in a statement. Magu described Das, a father to two young sons, as a dedicated family man and outstanding cardiologist.
Magu stated, “Our community has lost a remarkable physician, colleague, and friend, who dedicated his entire life to caring for patients.”
Das was a licensed pilot who owned the plane he was flying. According to a website of the Power of Love Foundation, a non profit he managed that aids women and children affected or infected by HIV/AIDS, Das lived in San Diego, and commuted to Yuma.
UPS observed a moment silence for Steve Krueger, the van driver.
The company released a statement saying that Steve was a person of high regard who took pride in his work and that his positive attitude and joy made even the most difficult days easier. “Steve will be missed greatly and was highly respected.”
Krueger was walking his regular route at the time he was shot and killed. According to Jeffrey Krueger (brother), Krueger said he planned to retire Oct. 22.
Krueger loved his job so deeply that he sent his brother photos of him in his brown uniform giving a UPS parcel to the costumed mammoth resort mascot.
His customers held him in love.
His brother stated, “During Christmas they would just bombarded him with stuff.”
His brother stated that Krueger would always talk about his customers. One couple had a dog who would wait outside the window for Krueger to arrive.
Das, the eldest of his four siblings, was born in Bengal to a Bengali family. He grew up in Pune, on the west coast of India. There he received a medical degree from the University of Pune. He then worked as a cardiologist. After moving to the United States, he became a director of the Power of Love Foundation (a non-profit that assists people living with HIV and AIDS).
He completed additional training in Michigan, and then moved to Yuma in 2004 where he started a cardiology practice.
The foundation website stated that Das had two planes and “in 2010, a fortuitous event sparked an interest… in general aviation”.