The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB’s) final report cites pilot error as the likely cause of a midair collision that killed three over Watsonville Municipal Airport in August 2022.
A Cessna 152 was practicing touch-and-go landings at the airport when the pilot of a Cessna 340 announced his intentions for a straight-in approach to land. Both pilots consistently made position reports but didn’t communicate directly until the Cessna 340 was approximately one mile from the airport, by which time the Cessna 152 had already turned onto the base leg of the traffic pattern. According to the report, the Cessna 152 pilot reported spotting the Cessna 340 behind him and remarked that he would go around because the aircraft was approaching quickly on him. The two collided on final approach for the runway about 150 feet above ground level.
The final NTSB report attributed the crash to the “failure of the pilot of the multi-engine airplane to see and avoid the single-engine airplane while performing a straight-in approach for landing.”
Toxicology reports showed that the Cessna 152 pilot had traces of THC, THC metabolites, cocaine metabolites and ketamine metabolites in his system at the time of his death. However, these low levels were not deemed contributory to the crash. Meanwhile, the pilot of the Cessna 340 showed traces of THC and metabolites of THC, also not deemed contributory to the crash.
“Toxicology reports showed that the Cessna 152 pilot had traces of THC, THC metabolites, cocaine metabolites, and ketamine metabolites in his system at the time of his death. However, these low levels were not deemed contributory to the crash. Meanwhile, the pilot of the Cessna 340 showed traces of THC and metabolites of THC, also not deemed contributory to the crash.”
I don’t think this contributed to the crash but it does say quite a bit about the pilots, and what it says is not good.
Just wondering though, under what circumstances would a mid-air NOT be pilot error? The only circumstance I can think of is it they were vectored into one another in IMC while both were on IFR flight plans.
Maybe also a bizarre mechanical failure that left one plane uncontrollable and it hit the other.
> I don’t think this contributed to the crash but it does say quite a bit about the pilots, and what it says is not good.
The report says the levels of metabolites found were not causal to the accident. Cocaine use is still illegal in CA, but pot is legal. So is ketamine if prescribed. You said “pilots,” but only one of them was using cocaine and ketamine–the other was only using pot. As far as I know, pot use is perfectly legal in CA. Given the level of metabolites were so low, it appears to me that the pilot of the twin was using pot responsibly, i.e. not before or during the flight. How is this different from a pilot who has an alcoholic drink or two the night before a flight?
As far as I know, marijuana is still illegal at the federal level and the pilot’s license is a federal, not state, license.
We went through that when I was an Air Force pilot in Alaska in the ’70s and the state decriminalized marijuana. There was an immediate Commander’s Call where everyone was told that, after paying their ticket for using marijuana, they’d face federal prosecution for the same.
It’s idiotic for a pilot to use any mind altering drug, ever! Now I’ll sit back and receive the flames of the druggies.
Yes, still federally illegal.
No argument with anything you said about it being Federally illegal. But let’s remember that mind-altering drugs include alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. If you don’t use any of these, more power to you. Otherwise, you might want to be more careful with the word “idiotic.”
The mid-air in Alaska in 2019 was not judged to be pilot error if I recall correctly.
My comment above was to the first comment by William. If you watch Hoover’s Pilot Debrief on the 2019 mid-air, he does a great job of explaining how the holes in the swiss cheese tragically lined up.
Agree. Hoover does excellent work.
Correction needed?: I believe the Cessna 340 pilot had an anti-allergen in his system, not THC.
Editor: Please feel free to delete this comment.
Rereading the report both pilots had THC in their systems. 340 pilot also has beta blocker, an antihistamine, and treatment for kidney stones. I could not imagine operating an aircraft with THC in my system, even residual amounts.
This is my airfield and the locals were trying to figure out what airport the 340 twin pilot wanted to land. Short final at TPA flying 200 MPH with flaps and wheels up, he wasn’t landed at KWVI.
That’s the detail I remember from this accident. There’s no reason to be screaming down final like that. (180kts and not configured at 300 agl…) Had the 152 not been there, what would have been the outcome? A gear-up landing? A runway excursion? Or just a smoking crater at the threshold?
Sadly, we’ll never know what the pilot was thinking…
Could the 340 pilot have retracted the gear and flaps and begun to accelerate to go around after spotting the 152 ahead? Or if not spotting the 152, maybe hearing the radio transmission from the 152 about closing on final?
I’ve seen a couple of very good analyses about this accident. Juan Brown has a very good one on his Blancolirio youtube channel. Hoover at Pilot Debrief also has a good one.
One very odd aspect of this crash was the fact that this was a recurring flight done by the 340 pilot. He normally slowed down to 80 or 90 knots by the time was approaching final. On this flight he was still well over 100 kts and there was no way he could have slowed the aircraft enough to land at the point when the crash occurred. He must have thought the 152 was still on base, was racing to get ahead of him, yet was going to have to go around anyway because of his speed.
It’s kind of a scary incident thinking you can go out for a leisurely day in the 152 to practice touch-and-goes and get killed by another pilot with a fast plane and a case of get-there-itis.
I wonder why nobody (apparently) turned off runway heading. That might have prevented a collision.
Marijuana metabolites can be found long after the buzz is gone – as in days later. Any regular user will test positive, even if stone cold sober. I’ll trust the NTSB’s conclusions on this ope.
Cheech and Chong running into each other…..weird.
FWIW this was near Santa Cruz, the Spiritual Universe Center Of The Hippie.
(I love California, this was a joke…)
I know it’s tempting to question the effect of certain chemical residuals in the blood of accident victims, but if the FAA deems them “not contributory to the crash”, then we should take them, and their expertise, at their word. Speculate all you like, but it you have any actual facts that my be probative, by all means, speak up. Otherwise, we could just as easily chalk it up to a full bladder.
My money is on the twin pilot’s inability to see the Cessna in the ground clutter from directly aft until too late to avoid. Not a sexy explanation, but far more plausible, and sadly, common.
I don’t think the metabolites would have had a cognitive effect at the time of the crash but I think the use of marijuana implies poor judgement in life skills and this may also be manifested in poor aeronautical decision making.
It appears like they were both racing for the threshold to beat the other (52 pilot appeared to be short- cutting base to final, 340 not slowing or transitioning to landing configuration), and it’s possible that the 152 didn’t make a distinct turn from base to final which might have made it easier for the 340 pilot so spot him. You can also disparage the 152 pilot based on the toxicology report, but it’s pretty obvious the 340 pilot caused the accident and showed lots of poor judgement, e.g. VFR straight-in w/o coordinating with other traffic, continuing into short final at 180 knots, failing to give right-away to landing traffic at a lower altitude, continuing his descent knowing there was much slower traffic ahead.
seems to me if NTSB is finding fault, regulation
wise traffic on final has the right of way, ergo, pilot of 152 at fault. Sadly preventable one reason or another.
It sure looks like the 340 pilot was planning a high speed pass down the runway instead of landing. Gear and flaps up and 180 knots at the collision point made a landing not possible.
It’s a unfortunate reminder that safe airport operations are much more than reporting positions. Both pilots continued to maneuver (one straight – the other turning base/final) without visual contact or coordination with the other pilot.
The conclusion that it was pilot error was also featured in the magazine named “Duh!”.