Bonanza Crashes After Unintentional Engine Start

So, the "two people" had the throttle set for full power and the
magneto switch turned on while they worked on the propeller? And the
airplane wasn't tied down??? These folks are prime candidates for the
2019 Darwin Awards.

Here's the story:

https://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/new...-232211-1.html

Bonanza Crashes After Unintentional Engine Start

By Kate O'Connor | January 31, 2019

Image: KCRA

An unoccupied Beechcraft V35B Bonanza crashed at California’s Modesto
City-County Airport (MOD) after an unplanned engine start on Wednesday
afternoon. It has been reported that two people had been working on
the aircraft’s electrical system and manipulating the propeller. The
engine accidently [sic] engaged, sending the Bonanza into a parked car
and through the airport fence at approximately 40 MPH. A building was
also damaged in the incident. No injuries were reported.

“When we arrived on scene, we found that a private plane that was
being prepared for a trip had some sort of incident within the plane
that caused the plane to take off with no one inside,” said Modesto
Fire Department Division Chief Mike Lillie while at the scene. “At
that time the plane rolled on the airport grounds until it came to its
resting place here by this building and the fence.”

The exact cause of the unintentional engine start has not yet been
determined. The aircraft, which sustained substantial damage, was
removed by crane on Wednesday evening. Officials are investigating.
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Video report:
https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2019...desto-airport/


Unmanned Plane Crashes At Modesto Airport
January 30, 2019 at 5:00 pm
Filed Under:Modesto, Modesto Airport

MODESTO (CBS13) – A small unmanned plane crashed at Modesto Airport
Wednesday afternoon.

A pair of pilots were reportedly working on the electrical system of a
single-engine Beech V35B, manipulating the propeller, but said it
wouldn’t start. When the pilots walked away, the propeller suddenly
engaged on its own and taxied away, hitting a car and a fence.

The pilots told police the plane took off at speeds around 40 miles
per hour. The plane was moving toward the busy Mitchell Road after it
clipped the parked car.

A pair of pilots working on a plane propeller at #Modesto Airport
tell police it suddenly took off at around 40mph; clipping a parked
car before heading towards Mitchell Rd. Luckily this fence stopped it
from going into traffic. I'll have a live report on @CBSSacramento at
4pm. pic.twitter.com/b5aB5VHaJ3

— Linda Mumma (@LindaBMumma) January 30, 2019

“If it was to get over that [grass] and get onto Mitchell, we would
really have had a problem on our hands trying to stop that plane with
nobody inside it,” said Sgt. Mark Phillips with the Modesto Police
Department.

Phillips said it was a good thing the plane hit the vehicle because it
changed direction, diverting the plane from a hanger that was occupied
at the time of the incident. Two structures were damaged by the plane,
but no one was hurt in the crash.

The building belongs to DC Air, which is owned by Dan Costa of 5-11
Tactical. He was apparently inside at the time of the crash along with
numerous other people.

The plane is registered to Doncam Consulting, LLC in Modesto,
according to the FAA database. The FAA went to the scene to
investigate the crash and wrapped up their investigation Wednesday
afternoon. There is no official word on what caused the plane to take
off.

The plane suffered extensive damage in the incident.

Heavy machinery was on its way to the airport to lift the damaged
plane out.

A crane has arrived on scene at the #Modesto Airport to lift the
crashed Beechcraft Bonanza out from on top of a fence. @ModestoPolice
say no one was inside the aircraft when it suddenly took off while
mechanics were working on the electrical system. Details on
@CBSSacramento @ 5 pic.twitter.com/tvebX6Y3Zp
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https://www.ntd.com/single-engine-pl...de_283373.html

US
Single-Engine Plane Crashes at California Airport With Nobody Inside
By Tom Ozimek January 31, 2019
Single-Engine Plane Crashes at California Airport With Nobody Inside
Stock Photo of an ambulance en route to save a life. (Michael
Gil/CC-BY-2.0)

A single-engine plane crashed at Modesto Airport in Northern
California, officials announced on Jan. 30, adding that at the time of
the crash—there was no one onboard.

Police cited by CBS Sacramento said that prior to the accident, the
owner of the Beech V35B Bonanza aircraft was servicing the plane, but
was unsuccessful in trying to get it to start. However, after the
owner walked away from the plane, the engine suddenly fired up, and
the plane began moving down the runway—all by itself.

The pilots told police the plane took off at speeds around 40 miles
per hour. The plane was moving toward the busy Mitchell Road after it
clipped a parked car.

Witnesses said the unmanned plane hit speeds of around 40 miles per
hour, before clipping a parked car and finally crashing into a
chain-link fence.

Modesto Police Department Sgt. Mark Phillips told KOVR-TV that after
the plane hit the vehicle, it changed direction away from a nearby
hangar, where there were people inside. He said the fence also kept
the plane from making its way onto a busy road.

“If it was to get over that [grass] and get onto [the road], we would
really have had a problem on our hands trying to stop that plane with
nobody inside it,” Phillips said.

No one was injured in the crash, but two buildings were damaged.

A pair of pilots working on a plane propeller at #Modesto Airport
tell police it suddenly took off at around 40mph; clipping a parked
car before heading towards Mitchell Rd. Luckily this fence stopped it
from going into traffic. I'll have a live report on @CBSSacramento at
4pm. pic.twitter.com/b5aB5VHaJ3

— Linda Mumma (@LindaBMumma) January 30, 2019

CBS Sacramento reported that the plane is registered to Doncam
Consulting LLC in Modesto, citing a Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)
database.

Officials from the FAA were at the scene of the crash on Wednesday
afternoon conducting an investigation.

It is not known why the plane suddenly took off. Before the plane
began to move of its own accord, mechanics had been working on the
aircraft’s electrical system, according to a tweet posted by local
reporter Linda Mumma.

A crane has arrived on scene at the #Modesto Airport to lift the
crashed Beechcraft Bonanza out from on top of a fence. @ModestoPolice
say no one was inside the aircraft when it suddenly took off while
mechanics were working on the electrical system. Details on
@CBSSacramento @ 5 pic.twitter.com/tvebX6Y3Zp

— Linda Mumma (@LindaBMumma) January 31, 2019

Mumma also noted in the tweet that a crane was used to take away the
severely damaged Beechcraft Bonanza V35B.

According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the
“V” series Beechcraft Bonanza is a smaller, more affordable version of
the six-seater Bonanza A36s. The AOPA calls the V-tailed Bonanza,
which is the same model as the one that crashed at Modesto Airport, a
“budget buy” that “doesn’t sacrifice any of the Bonanza mystique.”

The AOPA does note, however, that the V35B suffered from a
questionable reputation due to structural issues that prompted the FAA
to issue an airworthiness directive, calling for structural
enhancements.

“Many have heard of the V-tails’ reputation as an unsafe airplane
prone to structural failure,” writes the AOPA’s Ian Twombly.

“Early problems with structural failure prompted the FAA to issue an
airworthiness directive decades ago that beefed up the tail spars, and
accidents have since decreased. Tom Turner, a respected safety
advocate in the Bonanza community, analyzed NTSB records and found
that between 1962 and 2007 there were an average of about three V-tail
structural failures a year, most due to VFR flight into IMC,
thunderstorm encounters, and airframe icing. During the same period
the similar Debonairs and Bonanzas A36 sustained only 11 structural
failures,” Twombly noted.

“Despite this history, many owners say the V-tail Bonanza is a safe
and reliable airplane that offers typical Bonanza gravitas for tens of
thousands of dollars less in acquisition costs,” Twombly said.

The AOPA said the plane’s biggest plus was value for money, while its
biggest con was costly insurance as well as the fact that “early
models have engines that might be harder to service.”
-----------------------------------------------------------


https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=221329

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 221329
Last updated: 1 February 2019
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight
Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness
of this information. If you feel this information is incomplete or
incorrect, you can submit corrected information.

Date: 30-JAN-2019
Time:
Type: Silhouette image of generic BE35 model; specific model in this
crash may look slightly different
Beechcraft V35B Bonanza
Owner/operator: Doncam Consulting LLC
Registration: N18493
C/n / msn: D-10069
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Location: Modesto City-County Airport (KMOD), Modesto, CA -
United States of America
Phase: Standing
Natu Test
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Narrative:
During a series of hand-propping attempts at Modesto City-County
Airport-Harry Sham Field (KMOD), Modesto, California, the unoccupied
aircraft experienced a “hot prop (hot mag)” event and self started,
sustaining substantial damage during the subsequent unmanned taxi and
impact with an unoccupied motor vehicle and airport fencing. The two
pilots not onboard the airplane were not injured.

Sources:

https://www.lite1065.com/small-plane...nobody-inside/
https://gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.c...desto-airport/
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinq...ertxt=18493%20

https://aviationnewstalk.com/podcast...ga-news-ep-13/


Revision history:

Date/time Contributor Updates
31-Jan-2019 05:23 Geno Added
-------------------------------------

See also:
https://www.facebook.com/CivilAviati...7427165450310/
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https://www.corporationwiki.com/Cali...138386081.aspx

Doncam Consulting LLC
Active Modesto, CA

Overview
1
Key People
1
Locations
1
Filings
Contribute

Doncam Consulting LLC Overview

Doncam Consulting LLC filed as a Domestic in the State of California
on Thursday, June 13, 2013 and is approximately six years old, as
recorded in documents filed with California Secretary of State.

Network Visualizer
Robert D. Campana
Doncam Consulting LLC
Vintage Enterprises, LLC
Bob Campana Properties, LLC
Dry Creek Capital, Inc.
Doncam American, Inc.
Key People Who own Doncam Consulting LLC
Name
Robert D. Campana 4
~ Background Report ~

Member
Known Addresses for Doncam Consulting LLC
4342 Dale Rd Modesto, CA 95356
Corporate Filings for Doncam Consulting LLC
California Secretary of State
Filing Type: Domestic
Status: Active
State: California
State ID: 201317010023
Date Filed: Thursday, June 13, 2013
Registered Agent Robert D. Campana
Source
California Secretary of State
Data last refreshed on Monday, January 28, 2019
----------------------------------------------------

https://www.builderquotes.com/home-b...odesto_61.html

DONCAM CONSULTING LLC

4342 DALE ROAD

MODESTO, CA 95350

(209) 404-2605

Entity: Ltd Liability

Licenses: B - GENERAL BUILDING CONTRACTOR
C27 - LANDSCAPING
C36 - PLUMBING
C53 - SWIMMING POOL

License Number: 999382 Get current license status

Issue Date: 12/17/2014

Status on April 2017 is below (click link above for current status):

License is current and active.