I saw this plane right before the crash

[RacerX]

Plane crashes into Buena Park houses

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1366195.php

Last night during my walk, I noticed this plane flying over me (Beach Blvd) headed east towards the airport. It was flying very low & slow. I remember the engine wasn't at a high RPM (which is what caught my attention). I remember thinking, Boy I hope he makes it to the airport.

Not 15 minutes later, 3 police cars and an ambulance went screaming past me Code 3 at the next intersection (a truck almost rear-ended a car that had stopped to let them go by).

I knew something big had happened when by the time I got home, news helicopters were hovering over that area. Sure enough I flipped on the news at 6 and it was BREAKING NEWS...luckily nobody was in the houses and the 2 guys in the plane were not killed. I am positive it was the same plane because I was right on its flight path at the right time.

I get a little worried what with this airport so close, and my house full of cool gear!

[lerxstcat]

They hit a house and no one died? That is very lucky! When I lived in Santa Monica a small plane crashed into an apartment building about 2 blocks from my place. I went by to look at it and itlooked like it was parked in the carport under the building. The pilot and passenger didn't make it though...

[Nuclear Vampire]

Jeepers! That's freaking scary!

There's a small airport close to me and the pilot like to fly their little Cessnas (sp) and helicopters over the field behind my house. Gets a little scary and noisy as the helicopters fly way to fucking low sometimes. So I called the city to ask what kind of bylaws there are for that sort of thing. Apparently private helicopters are allowed to fly just about as low as they want right over houses and shit. Something like 50 meters is the lowest.

[pjg]

Jeepers! That's freaking scary!

There's a small airport close to me and the pilot like to fly their little Cessnas (sp) and helicopters over the field behind my house. Gets a little scary and noisy as the helicopters fly way to fucking low sometimes. So I called the city to ask what kind of bylaws there are for that sort of thing. Apparently private helicopters are allowed to fly just about as low as they want right over houses and shit. Something like 50 meters is the lowest.

Wait until these things take over the skys:

http://www.verylightjetmagazine.com/

I heard somewhere that they are trying to make it so they don't need licensed mechanics for the majority of their maintenenace.

[OnlineStageGear]

You should contact the NTSB. They would want to talk with anyone who saw the plane before the crash.

[VulfgangPfuck]

Beechcraft planes scare me in general. I've been up in Cessnas, and Cub Cadets, but I'd be very wary of going up in a Beechcraft. I see them involved in more crashes than any single engine/small plane in the air.

About 7 years ago, I witnessed the same thing Ron just did. It was Memorial day, and a bunch of us were playing volleyball in my backyard. It was early afternoon...and we see a plane go overhead real low and slow, and we're all thinking the nearest airport is about 20 miles away, and there's something wrong. So we stop and watch, and about 5 minutes in, we hear the crash followed by sirens screaming from all parts.

The plane (A Beechcraft...don't remember the model) had crashed and caught on fire only several blocks from my house between two houses (it missed both houses). No one was killed, but the pilot and the co-pilot suffered bad burns and several other injuries, and a 14 year old passenger suffered a broken leg. There were 4 ppl on the plane, the boy and his parents, pilot and co pilot (which was the boy's father). The mother only suffered minor injuries.

Turns out it had engine problems, and was attempting an emergency landing in a field not far from my house, but never made it to the field. I'm guessing the landing was softened by trees breaking it's fall.

The crash sounded like several M80's going off in very quick succession.

Very scary stuff indeed!

[FusionFarmer]

Small planes are great and a lot of fun, but unfortunatly when something goes wrong you can't just pull over too the side of the road. I used to fly my Cessna out of Van Nuys CA, know as the buisiest small airport in the USA. I was driving west on the 118 Frwy,(about 2 miles north of the airport) when I saw a piper coming straight down and hit the frwy about 1/4 mile in front of me. when I got to the crash, the plane was standing on its smashed nose straight up and down, it wasn't a pleasant sight at all, the next day my plane had minor electrical problem (no flaps or gauges) I landed okay, but I kinda got away from flying a few months later.

[VulfgangPfuck]

Small planes are great and a lot of fun, but unfortunatly when something goes wrong you can't just pull over too the side of the road. I used to fly my Cessna out of Van Nuys CA, know as the buisiest small airport in the USA. I was driving west on the 118 Frwy,(about 2 miles north of the airport) when I saw a piper coming straight down and hit the frwy about 1/4 mile in front of me. when I got to the crash, the plane was standing on its smashed nose straight up and down, it wasn't a pleasant sight at all, the next day my plane had minor electrical problem (no flaps or gauges) I landed okay, but I kinda got away from flying a few months later.

Ecch! Scary! I imagine the pilot didn't make it.

I don't ever want to physically witness a plane crashing. That would probably end my interest of flying in small craft forever. I still prefer heli's over planes anyway. 3D flight is incredible!! And helis can auto-rotate to the ground if there's a problem. You'd just be extremely dizzy when you touch down!

[AzPilot]

You know there are far more fatal auto accidents each day than there are plane crashes. In fact over 90 percent of all plane crashes involve only minor injuries. For some reason the public has a facination with plane crashes so the media is going to report them. Truth is you are much safer in a small plane than you are in your car. That is backed up by statistics. Most people are afaid of the unknown. Pilots make up 1/10 of one percent of the population. which means most people do not know how a plane flys, what is involved and why we all dont drop out of the sky each time a small plane goes up. Its only natural to be amazed and scared when we see these accidents on TV. That being said, I am more afraid of the drive to the airport.

[Norton]

I get a little worried what with this airport so close, and my house full of cool gear!

Tell us about your gear

[Newc]

Ecch! Scary! I imagine the pilot didn't make it.

I don't ever want to physically witness a plane crashing. That would probably end my interest of flying in small craft forever. I still prefer heli's over planes anyway. 3D flight is incredible!! And helis can auto-rotate to the ground if there's a problem. You'd just be extremely dizzy when you touch down!

Helicopters do not like to fly. You have to force them to fly straight. There's something fundamentally wrong with that.

You know there are far more fatal auto accidents each day than there are plane crashes. In fact over 90 percent of all plane crashes involve only minor injuries. For some reason the public has a facination with plane crashes so the media is going to report them. Truth is you are much safer in a small plane than you are in your car. That is backed up by statistics. Most people are afaid of the unknown. Pilots make up 1/10 of one percent of the population. which means most people do not know how a plane flys, what is involved and why we all dont drop out of the sky each time a small plane goes up. Its only natural to be amazed and scared when we see these accidents on TV. That being said, I am more afraid of the drive to the airport.

Unfortunately those statistics are not scaled to match the differences between the number of cars and the number of small planes. If 10% of 1 million drivers have a car crash, that's nothing. If 10% of 1000 pilots have crashes, there's a problem.

[AzPilot]

If 10% of 1 million drivers have a car crash, that's nothing. If 10% of 1000 pilots have crashes, there's a problem.

Your a tad off on your stats there...

2005 General Aviation Statistics:
Total Accidents : 1764
Fatal Accidents: 334
Hours Flown: 24,401,000
Accident rate per 100,000 flight hours: 7.23


2005 Auto accidents:
Fatal vehicle crashes: 39,189


Just think its important to point that out. Too many people think flying small planes is dangerous. This is not the 60s anymore. Flying IS safer than driving.