SoCal TRACON, Montgomery Field Tower Evacuated.

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 01:09:25 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote in Message-Id: :

From a TV news broadcast:

It appears that forest fires have forced the evacuation of SoCal
TRACON and Montgomery Field Tower. LA Center is handling LAX traffic.


Here's the FAA preliminary report on the accident that occurred at
Montgomery:



http://www2.faa.gov/avr/aai/G_1027_N.txt
************************************************** ******************************
** Report created 10/27/2003 Record 1
**
************************************************** ******************************

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 1147N Make/Model: MO20 Description: MO-20
Date: 10/26/2003 Time: 2219

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Minor Mid Air: N
Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
City: SAN DIEGO State: CA Country: US

DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES ON THE I-163 FREEWAY,
SAN
DIEGO, CA

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 1
Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0
Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0
Unk:

WEATHER: UNK



OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: General
Aviation

Departed: ST JOHN, AZ Dep Date: Dep. Time:
Destination: SAN DIEGO, CA Flt Plan: UNK Wx
Briefing: U
Last Radio Cont: UNK
Last Clearance: UNK

FAA FSDO: SAN DIEGO, CA (WP09) Entry date:
10/27/2003

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 10:36:17 -0800, "C J Campbell"
wrote in Message-Id:
:


wrote in message
.. .
|
| Did you know that as a result of the fires / tower closure / poor pilot
| judgement, a Mooney crash landed at Montgomery, or I should say, on the
| freeway just west of the runway. Plane cartwheeled a few times per
| witenesses, burst into flames, but the pilot walked away with no injuries!
|

According to AVweb and AP the pilot barely managed to pull himself from the
wreckage and was hospitalized.

Would you be so kind as to provide those links?

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 18:29:34 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote in Message-Id: :

viviparities

Correction: viabilities

It appears that the visibility was 1/4 mile at the time of the
accident.

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 18:52:51 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote in Message-Id: :

viabilities

Correction to the correction: visibilities

I don't think a tower being open would have made any difference.. just the
same as landing at any other non controlled airport..

to blame this on the tower being closed is stupid.. if they had to close the
tower for ATC controller safety... maybe he should not have been lading
there either..

JMVHO
BT

wrote in message
...

Did you know that as a result of the fires / tower closure / poor pilot
judgement, a Mooney crash landed at Montgomery, or I should say, on the
freeway just west of the runway. Plane cartwheeled a few times per
witenesses, burst into flames, but the pilot walked away with no injuries!

Initial talk says the pilot was landing with a tailwind that had to have
been 20 kts at Montgomery (with a closed Tower) realized he wasn't going
to
be able to land and stop with useable runway leftover so he initiated an
emergency go-around. Pilot was quoted saying the airplane just would not
get
any lift on the go-around and so he "put it down" on the freeway albeit
not
to gracefully.
Initial reporters were stating that he was attempting the landing with the
known tailwind so he could use the ILS for 28R. Obviously the reported and
the pilot in this case didn't know about a backcourse? Hmmm.

Should be interesting to read the reports on this when they are done..

JB


"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
From a TV news broadcast:

It appears that forest fires have forced the evacuation of SoCal
TRACON and Montgomery Field Tower. LA Center is handling LAX traffic.

they said tonight on the local news that I-15 was still open.
But I also heard from CNN or Fox, that I-15 was closed the other day. I
think the local news would be the more correct of the two.

BTIZ wrote:

and many airlines have stopped flying into LAX for the moment..

I-15 is also closed.. stranding weekend travelers in Las Vegas..

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
From a TV news broadcast:

It appears that forest fires have forced the evacuation of SoCal
TRACON and Montgomery Field Tower. LA Center is handling LAX traffic.

"BTIZ" wrote in message
news:mG1nb.94367$La.51230@fed1read02...
I live here.. those trapped tourist keep my tax $ down..


BT

When the fires are out, is Mustang Range still in operation to KEEP them
trapped? :~)


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:xe0nb.38054$Tr4.78629@attbi_s03...
I-15 is also closed.. stranding weekend travelers in Las Vegas..

The horror!

(I should be so lucky... :-)

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 17:13:23 -0800, "BTIZ"
wrote:

I don't think a tower being open would have made any difference..

With visibility at 1/4 mile around the time of the accident, I would
suspect that the tower controller would not have approved an
instrument approach.

wrote in message
...

With visibility at 1/4 mile around the time of the accident, I would
suspect that the tower controller would not have approved an
instrument approach.


The approach is not subject to the tower controller's approval.

I have heard that the pilot may have lived in nearby scripps ranch
where many homes were lost.
may have contributed to his urgency to get home.


NTSB Identification: LAX04LA028
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, October 26, 2003 in San Diego, CA
Aircraft: Mooney M20K, registration: N1147N
Injuries: 1 Minor.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain
errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final
report has been completed.

On October 26, 2003, at 1419 Pacific standard time, a Mooney M20K
airplane, N1147N, landed hard on a highway after a partial loss of
engine power during a go-around from Montgomery Field (MYF), San
Diego, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under
the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot sustained minor
injuries; the airplane was destroyed in a post-impact fire. The flight
departed St. John's Industrial Air Park (SJN), St. Johns, Arizona,
about 1200 mountain standard time. Instrument meteorological
conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) plan had
been filed for the personal cross-country flight.

In a telephone conversation, the pilot reported that he filed IFR to
BARET intersection with the intention of landing at Montgomery Field.
Forest fires in the area had restricted IFR flights into the area.
Prior to landing, he canceled his IFR clearance and descended below
the smoke layer. During landing, the pilot executed a go-around. He
applied the throttle and as the airplane began the crosswind turn, the
engine lost partial power. He was unable to maintain a climb, and
landed the airplane hard on Highway 163. As the airplane touched down,
the right wing was torn off and the airplane impacted a divider.

The Safety Board investigator contacted Prescott Flight Service
Station (FSS) regarding the accident. The pilot received a preflight
weather briefing from 1120 to 1131. FSS personnel advised him that he
might not be able to get into the San Diego area airports under IFR
due to congestion in the area as a result of the forest fires.

A notice to airmen (NOTAM) advising the closure of the Montgomery
Field tower was issued at 1152.

An aviation routine weather report (METAR) was issued at 1453. It
stated in part: wind from 040 degrees at 9 knots; visibility 3/4 mile;
haze; smoke; vertical visibility 1,000 feet; temperature 31 degrees
Celsius ; dew point 8 degrees Celsius; altimeter 30.08 inHg.





On Sat, 01 Nov 2003 15:46:42 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote:


wrote in message
.. .

With visibility at 1/4 mile around the time of the accident, I would
suspect that the tower controller would not have approved an
instrument approach.


The approach is not subject to the tower controller's approval.