A few updates

Here we go with some updates from June that I did not get around to posting.

June 22
Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Cessna T210M N732WQ (c/n 21061836) took off at 10:52am and there was several puffs of smoke coming from the aircraft. The plane did a 360 turn and almost landed on rwy 12 with the gear up but then circled around and landed on rwy 25R. The plane taxied back to the Sheriffs ramp with the fire department in trail.

June 27
Allegiant Air MD-87 N945MA (c/n 49725/1552) arrived from San Diego Intl (KSAN) at 6:41pm as AAY5275. The planed departed to Laughlin/Bullhead Intl (KIFP) at 7:35pm as AAY5275.

June 30
Mid East Jet 757-200 N757MA (c/n 28463/739) arrived from Bangor Intl (KBGR) at 7:04pm and parked at AirFlite. The plane brought in a Prince from the Mid East region and his family. The plane ferried to Washington Dulles Intl (KIAD) at 8:04pm.

Pilot error blamed for 2009 midair crash off Long Beach breakwater

LONG BEACH - The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday released its probable cause report of the fatal collision of two small planes May 18 about five miles south of the breakwater.

The NTSB determined the crash was "the failure of both pilots to see and avoid each other's aircraft," according to the report.

The midair collision killed Gary Gierczak, 54, of Los Alamitos, James C. Choo 32, of Torrance and Thomas Ferrell, 32, of the Netherlands, who was visiting family in Westminster.

Detailed accounts from a pilot who witnessed the fatal crash also was listed in the report.

The eyewitness pilot, who was flying south in the immediate area of the collision, noticed a silhouette of what appeared to be a Cessna 172 at his 10 to ll o'clock position. Choo, a certified flight instructor with 1,881 hours of flying time, and Ferrell, a student pilot, were aboard the plane.

The airplane appeared to be performing maneuvers and making turns in a counterclockwise, followed by a clockwise, direction, according to the report.

The witness altered his course slightly to the right, due to the Cessna's proximity, and continued to monitor the Cessna's location, the report stated.

As the pilot looked to his right while turning, he noticed another airplane, traveling at high speed, entering the area from the west and heading east. He couldn't identify the airplane type because the sun had almost set on the horizon. He identified it as a "black object."

It was a Cessna 310P piloted by Gierczak, who held an airline-transport pilot license, the highest level license, which allows one to fly as a captain for the airlines. He had 3,378 hours of flying time.

The fast moving Cessna 310 remained on an easterly path while the Cessna 172 continued heading south and performing maneuvers. Both planes were at about the same altitudes, the report stated.

Shortly thereafter, around 6 p.m., he saw both airplanes collide and "immediately disintegrated into small pieces." The debris from both airplanes descended into the ocean. The pilot reported the collision to air traffic control and circled the area of floating debris until first responders arrived, the report stated.

On May 20 and 21, divers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the Port of Los Angeles police recovered wreckage of both planes and the remains of the three victims on the ocean floor about 80 feet below the surface and five miles south of the breakwater.

Both planes had taken off from Long Beach Airport. The Cessna 310 departed about 5:20 p.m. and the Cessna 172 departed about 5:50 p.m., the report stated.

(Phillip Zonkel - Press Telegram)

Monday 8-17-09

DIHE Inc Cessna Citation N191VE (560-0150) arrived at 3:14pm from Henderson Executive (KHND) and had its nose gear collapse upon landing and stopped just short of taxiway Kilo on rwy 30. All traffic for rwy 30 was reallocated to rwy 25R.

Here is a link to a video taken this afternoon of JetBlue flight 283 landing on rwy 25R: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jI5I3JmWbQ

It has been reported that Gulfstream G550 B-KCK (c/n 5228) delivered from LGB via Luton, England. The plane departed at 5:57pm local. Any confirmation is welcome.

Tail numbers noted on the Gulfstream ramp: N748GA (green, c/n 5248), B-KCK (c/n 5228)

Long Beach Grand Prix Aircraft

Below are some of the tail numbers and aircraft that were here for the Grand Prix race over the weekend. Thanks to Myron for the information.

N500PR CRJ-900
N1RL CRJ-900
N630S WESTWIND
N603CS G-IV
N500NH FALCON
N502RP G-150
N500MA WESTWIND
N880WW HAWKER 800
N777ZL FALCON 20
N168TR
N500CG LEAR 45
N42ST FALCON
N484T CESSNA 750
N585T CESSNA 750

Monday 1-5-09

A Cessna 152 belonging to Temco Sky Net Services was taking off on Rwy 25L and veered onto the high speed exit of Foxtrot One. While on the exit the pilot lost control of the aircraft and it continued onto the Signature ramp and clipped the boom off a Johnson Aviation MD-500 helicopter before crashing into 3 concrete poles at the corner of a hangar row. Both people inside the 152 got out of the plane and the pilot was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Gulfstream G-III N4500X (c/n 416) landed at 2:30pm and parked at Gulfstream.

Friday 6-20-08

A Boeing Company BBJ landed at 5:40pm and parked at Airflite. I was unable to get a tail number.

A320 N651JB "Beta Blue" arrived at 6:25pm and departed at 7:30pm.

A glance over at the Gulfstream ramp reveals the following tail numbers: B-8080(Deer Jet), N550AN, N673P.

On the north general aviation parking area, Cessna N818CT, (a TU 206G) was spotted on floats. The plane is two tone blue with white.

A new G550 was towed from the paint hangar at 9:45pm. The registration is N1LB.