PARADISE, Calif. -
PG&E has confirmed that the two people killed in a
plane crash in Butte County Tuesday morning were doing contract work
for the company.
PG&E spokesperson Jana Morris says the pilot works for AA
Aerial Services and the passenger is with Frontline Energy Services. The plane was a Champion 7GCAA with the tail number N9607S.
They were in the air doing a routine check on gas transmission lines in the area of Neal Road when the plane went down.
The names of the people killed were not immediately released.
Morris says their thoughts and prayers are with the companies and families involved.
The crash sparked a fire that burned 21 acres along Neal Road, south of Chico. The
crash was reported at 11:35 a.m. along Neal Road between the landfill
and Paradise. The crash site is five miles south/southwest of
Paradise.
The smoke could be seen south of Chico along Highway 99.
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NTSB Identification: WPR13FA370
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident
occurred
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
in
Paradise, CA
Aircraft:
CHAMPION 7GCAA, registration:
N9607S
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
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. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this
investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work
without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to
prepare this aircraft accident report.
On
August 13, 2013 about 1130 Pacific daylight time, a Champion 7GCAA,
N9607S, collided with the ground while maneuvering near Paradise,
California. The airplane was registered to the pilot and operated by AA
Aerial Surveillance, LLC. under the provisions of Title 14 Code of
Federal Regulations Part 91 as an aerial observation flight. The
commercial pilot and passenger were fatally injured and the airplane was
substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a
flight plan was not filed. The cross-country flight originated from the
Nut Tree Airport (VCB), Vacaville, California about 0850 with a
destination of Chico Municipal Airport (CIC), Chico, California.
According
to a representative from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Company,
the pilot was flying pipeline patrol on a gas transmission line that
services Paradise. The underground pipeline extends northeast along the
top of a flat ridge surrounded on either side by rugged canyons.
During
a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB), a witness, who was an observer in a fire lookout tower at
Sawmill Peak located nine miles northeast of the accident site, reported
that a high wing airplane made approximately three large right circles
and then depart to the south. The witness stated that he did not see the
airplane descend or see the accident sequence.
Examination of
the accident site revealed that the wreckage was located near the bottom
of a canyon and was mostly consumed by postimpact fire. The debris path
was about 50 feet in length and about 20 feet wide. Postimpact fire was
found throughout the debris path and through surrounding terrain. About
21 acres of land was burned. All major structural components were
located within the debris path. The wreckage was relocated to a secured
facility for further examination.
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