‘I’m Going to Have Nightmares,’ Says One of the First Persons at the Scene of Dinsmore Airplane Crash
Hose stretched to the smoking plane crash. [Photos provided by a reader]
The crash happened just before noon east of the small town of Dinsmore near the Trinity County line. “No survivors have been located as of 2:45 p.m.,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a press release.
According to Franklin Jackson, a witness who along with his wife saw the whole disaster, the scene was horrifying.
“We were going to the [Dinsmore] store,” he told us. “I was just getting to the end of the runway where the plane was taking off. It was going to the south.”
Right away, he said he noticed that the plane wasn’t flying right. “It just didn’t seem like it had enough power,” he said. “It barely cleared the fence.”
As pilots fly up out of the Dinsmore airport, he explained, there’s a place where they have to bank hard right. When the pilot started to bank the plane, Jackson said, “It stalled out.”
The plane smashed into two trees. “One of the wings went through the tree, sheared the wing off and cut the top right off the tree,” Jackson told us. “When [the plane] hit the trees, it did a roll.”
According to Jackson, the plane was upside down when it smashed into the ground. One of the wings landed on one side of the road (approximately mile marker 43), and the plane landed on the other side.
“We were there within thirty seconds of it hitting the ground,” Jackson said. “I was already turned around. I knew it was going to crash…It was barely on fire when I got there.”
He handed his wife the phone to call 911 and then rushed to the plane. “It was pretty obvious that there was no one alive,” he said. “The cab was crumpled to nothing.” Jackson said he called out to the people in the plane even though he thought it was unlikely anyone was alive, but no one answered.
“There was no suffering,” he added.
But beyond helping those in the crash, he was concerned about the spreading fire. Luckily, there were other people gathering to assist including one with a small fire extinguisher.
“When I got there, the fire wasn’t that big,” he explained. “We tried to get a hose on it from across the street.” But that wasn’t long enough.
Jackson said he ran to the store to get a fire extinguisher. “The store donated a couple of hundred dollars of fire extinguishers,” he told us. “They were great.”
He raced back to the plane where it lay crumpled on the ground with flames scattered in the vegetation around it.
“I put out what I could of the fire in the forest,” Jackson explained. But then, the fire got worse. “The fuel tank exploded–a giant ball of fire within five minutes,” he said. “We all backed up and moved our vehicles.”
Luckily two local, private, water delivery trucks just happened to pass by and started dousing the fire, he explained.
“Within five minutes, the first volunteer [firefighter] was on scene,” Jackson said. “Within 10 minutes, Cal Fire had a helicopter up there…Within 25 minutes, the Fire Department was on scene. ”
Jackson explained that he directed traffic while the fire trucks were doing their job. “It all happened so fast,” he told us. The fire, he said, “burned a very small amount. It was a miracle that it didn’t burn more.”
He said that the water trucks and the fire extinguishers were so quickly available prevented a much worse fire.
“[The crash] was one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen,” he told us. “A friend of mine saw three men getting in the plane. I don’t know for a fact that they were in there when it crashed. ” But he believes there was more than one person in the plane.
“I tried to save them and I just couldn’t,” he said. “I’m sure I’m going to have nightmares about it for a long time.”
UPDATE: Four Dead in Yesterday’s Plane Crash; Sheriff’s Office Releases Names
Earlier: Airplane Crash at Dinsmore Airport; Fire Spreading
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Heroic actions. Thank you. Condolences to loved ones of the deceased.
Mr. Jackson and the rest of the folks who tried to help with that crash are hero’s in my book! They went above and beyond to lend as much aid as possible. Thank you to the store owner for giving them the fire extinguishers, God bless you. Thank you to the two water delivery truck drivers for helping with the water you had onboard. You are also a blessing. My heart aches for those people onboard the plane when it crashed. Condolences to your families and friends, and may you all RIP. God bless.
What a tragedy ~ thank you Mr. Franklin for your quick actions in attempting to help the crash victims, then being an integral part of preventing further destruction by wild fire. And thanks to all the other quick thinking folks that played a part in stopping the fire from spreading. My heart goes out to all family members out there ~
Step right up, come on in. I will tell you of a story that will shake you to your skin. Over there, thats the chair, that she used to bring my newspaper to me. Over there, thats the (fill in the blank), that they smoked the weed together. (Autopsy?) Smoke a rope, find a dope? Improve the gnome. No one mentions sabatage or suicide? Too much fun? It always makes me nervous when the driver is bullshitting while not driving.
From ADS-B data, I believe I identified the aircraft as a Mooney M20J that took off from Fullerton. The pictures here seem consistent with that aircraft. I’ll hold off on posting the tail number for now. Based on the information so far, including this eyewitness account, it sounds like a case of an overloaded aircraft taking off at high density altitude and stalling while trying to clear rising terrain. With three people on board and baggage, even considering the fuel burned between Fullerton and Dinsmore, that may have been pushing the performance of an M20J given the conditions
Thank you to all who responded
Three 165-170lb men would put the plane at max Take off/Landing capacity (on a full fuel tank). Maybe they added a “few pounds” on their trip…
If it was the aircraft that I believe it was, it came from Fullerton which would mean they burned 40-50 gallons of fuel getting to Dinsmore, putting them about 300 pounds or so under max gross weight and I don’t believe that there is avgas at Dinsmore. I agree that they would have been very heavy at Fullerton (see below). This is my initial assessment, which I have also posted elsewhere. It is unofficial and unconfirmed, so take it with a grain of salt.:
“I’ve not flown into Dinsmore, but I’m assuming he was taking off on 27. If so, he definitely would have needed to make the left turn and climb over the river.
After looking briefly at the POH for the M20J, it should be within the capabilities of the aircraft to comfortably clear the end of the runway with 20 gallons of fuel (estimated based on a full 64 gal. tank of fuel at Fullerton and 3-4 hours of burning 10-12 gallons/hour before landing at Dinsmore), 3 average size passengers and about 100 pounds of baggage, however, I’m not sure if they would have had enough airspeed to turn before encountering the rising terrain. A witness did report that they stalled while entering a bank. Based on the numbers, I would not have attempted the takeoff.
With 2 passengers, it looks more reasonable.
A fourth passenger would have put the CG out of the envelope, but there were probably only 2 or 3 passengers based on reports.
It sounds like there were several eyewitnesses and none mentioned engine failure, though there seem to be a few reports of a slow or odd climb.
I’m not sure what to make of their departure from Fullerton. They climbed straight out for a fair distance, descended over Riverside County while gaining airspeed then turned North and went back into a climb. It makes me wonder if this was due to being tremendously heavy at Fullerton with the extra 40-50 gallons (240-300 pounds) of fuel that would have been burned on the way to Dinsmore.
It’s worth noting that these numbers are based on a factory weight, unmodified M20J”
Why speculate? What good does that do? Especially for the families of those who’s lives were lost.
I’m not speculating. We can look at the pilot’s operating handbook for that specific aircraft and see that the numbers say the takeoff was all but impossible, especially now that we know that there were 4 people on board the aircraft.
This information is certainly relevant to local pilots who might not want to meet a similar fate while operating out of our numerous local mountain airports. If you want to look at it in a strictly transactional sense, these are the kind of accidents that continue to drive aircraft insurance costs to unaffordable levels. Accident review has always been an essential contributor to aviation safety. That’s why the NTSB exists
Correct, there were 3 men and 1 woman aboard. It was a day trip, so there was probably no luggage aboard, but as you suggest, it sounds like the plane was overloaded.
At least someone might learn from their mistakes.
Rest In Peace to the occupants and pilot… I would like to add:
Density altitude no doubt as a factor as well…..2.45pm departure at 2,375’ MSL in July at dinsmoore and only 2500’ of runway. I’m sure DA was above 5000’.
As to why speculate, so others can learn from the fatal mistakes of others and fly safer. It’s why we have the NTSB.
“ Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”
I 100% agree. DA was absolutely in the 4,000-5,000′ range at the time of the accident and no doubt contributed.
That said, it’s hard to put together a scenario where this takeoff was at all possible, even without the effect of high DA.
The aircraft was almost certainly near max gross weight (and well over when taking off from Fullerton in the morning) and with aft CG beyond limit, there’s really no way they had the performance to climb out above the terrain and trees or gain enough airspeed to maneuver in time.
Todd, your generalizations are not correct. That M20J was not overloaded with less than 100 lbs of fuel onboard; it was probably 200 lbs BELOW gross. There is absolutely no reason to think the CG was out of the envelope. 4,000 DA would not preclude it from clearing a 50 ft obstacle well within the length of the runway. He ABSOLUTELY was within the performance capability parameters for those conditions WITH THE EXCEPTION of taking off with a significant tailwind, and that has not been established here.
That’s right. If you haven’t made any mistakes, it’s because you haven’t done anything.
Sounds reasonable to me. Among other things.
Old pilots and bold pilots, but no old and bold pilots. Sometimes the pilot needs to make
the decision that the correct answer is no pay no play.
I’m glad he’s able to talk about it, and grateful for a community that knew how yo help and was willing to do it.
That he thought to add that “There was no suffering” is a comfort for their loved ones I hope.
It is, and I am grateful at least for that.
♥️
Yes it was comforting for me to read,
I will share it with my grandma. One of the passengers was my uncle.
Mr Jackson- My heart goes out to you and your wife having witnessed such a terrible tragic loss of life. I understand “I’m going to have nightmares about it for a long time”. A couple of years ago I witnessed a terrible accident in which a suicidal driver crossed over double lines from the northbound fast lane to go north in the southbound fast lane. She went by my car with me and my 3 year old granddaughter inside and I watched in my rearview mirror as she slammed into the car behind me. I will never forget that black truck exploding in my rearview mirror. I was the only witness. I have come to see it as a blessing that I witnessed the accident as I feel that my witnessing those two deaths gives honor to the people that died that day. I was able to give very clear testimony as to what happened which enabled the widow, who was dependent on her husband’s financial support due to a disability, to win a lawsuit that will provide her with the finances to support herself as a widow. Without my having witnessed this tragic accident there would have not been a witness that day. I hope you come to see that you that by witnessing this plane crash you can honor the passing of the planes occupants by giving testimony as to what happened. Thank goodness you were there.
So sorry to hear this. Condolences to the families. Thank you Mr Jackson and others that assisted. I agree with others that called your action very heroic. This disaster could have been so much worse if it wasn’t for the quick action.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Unfortunatly hind sight is always 20/20. EVERYONE pays for incompetence, stupidity and carlessness, also unfortunate. The sins of the father are paid unto the 3rd generation. Doesn’t give us much hope.
Amen.
??I’ll second that Angela.??
Sometimes the people who are bystanders happen to be called into action, in order to keep a tragedy from becoming a disaster.
Thank you for your service, sir, and we hope the trauma will pass quickly.
To the survivors, we are sorry for your losses.
Frank I know what you’ve been through. Years ago I was at Rohnerville Airport looking at a water tender OES was donating to our local VFD, when a single engine “kit” plane attempted to take off. The engine stalled and the pilot tried to return to the runway. Not enough speed and he just fell out of the sky. This happened right in front of the CDF air attack station and there was a big wheel mounted fire extinguisher there but it was down hill from the crash. We tried to roll it up he hill and do something about it but it was too heavy. It would not made a difference between life and death but it still haunts me. You did what you could.
You know it. Nothing more useless than altitude above you or runway behind you when the engine quits.
Wisdom in much council, so says the good book; but someone should have said ‘it’s been real, and it’s been fun, but I’ll take a cab.
Thank you Mr. Jackson for your heroic action today. You being there to witness that there was no suffering will bring comfort to grieving families.. We never know why we are called when help is needed and you responded to the call. Thank you for your quick actions and compassion. I pray your memory of the event heals over time. God Bless you for your service.
I am very sorry that the folks died. I’m am very grateful that the witnesses, neighbors, firefighters- volunteer and otherwise, Dinsmore store owners and water tender drivers were all so courageous and quick thinking!! Their behavior was a blessing. What a sweet community.
Yep, been there too.
My line, (the truth), to the family, was that, ” I witnessed no suffering”, to put them at ease, and myself.
These good Samaritans and first responders will probably need some well deserved TLC.
The families just as much, or more.
If any are listening,
You have my utmost respect.
It was not your fault.
You did not let anyone down.
There was nothing more you could have done, that you didn’t do.
You did the very best you could do.
I’m glad there are people out there like you.
You are amazing.
I hope you were not hurt responding.
I am glad if you weren’t injured.
It must have been traumatizing.
Don’t hesitate to seek someone to talk to about it if you need to.
I wish there was some way I could help.
Also to the families, I am so sorry for your loss.
I cannot imagine how difficult it must be.
Guest, well said!!
Why did they take off to the south rather than north. North would be into the prevailing wind. What is the standard procedure for that airstrip?
Amen.
Aw some. Went out in a blaze of stupidity. Heck of a job, but always job security for ntsb. Everyone wants to eat after the harvest, but what were they doing during the planting and watering and weeding, and cooking and guarding the crop? The smartest ones are the ones who keep their mouths shut and are part of the solution and not part of the problem.
That airport has a bag of souls in hand. Now it’s got a few more. Rest In Peace good people…
‘Two private water trucks happened to be passing by’
I’ve noticed this a lot lately also.
Willow Creeker, are you saying they were water trucks headed to a weed grow? That does not matter at all to me. In this case they stopped and used their water to help put out the fire, that is what really matters. I have nothing but praise for those fellas!
Amen.
what a loving thoughtful comment section gives me hope
I knew 3 of the 4 people, with an emphasis on 4 people. If from the posts the weight of 3 was “pushing” it, no doubt the weight of 4 was in the danger zone. Pilot just started flying about 3 or 4 years ago. These were some of the most knowledgeable folks about commercial remedies -two of them well known teachers / facilitators. I could only pray that they knew Jesus. He makes all the difference at times like this.
The pilot had plenty of experience. It was his own plane
The pilot had over 30 years experience
I knew the pilot. He had been flying for at least 35 years. Thank you to all who helped.
Amen.
Piss poor judgement. Will be written off as pilot error. More business for mortuary. The only thing for sure, as mark twain was alleged to have said, death and taxes; might have added airplane crashes and car wrecks.
Jacquie was a friend of mine, and many others. She was always a bright, happy, beaming lady with never-ending enthusiasm and whom never expressed anger. She leaves behind four children. Ken, one of the others on the plane, was her mate. I don’t know who the other two were. They traveled up to Humboldt to look at some land for purchase. I believe they were on their way to Napa for lunch before returning to southern California.
Much thanks and appreciation to those who tried to help. Jacquie was doing great work for many people, far more than people could understand or that I can aptly explain in a short message, and her legacy will continue through her friends and those she tutored and trained.
God bless.
Makes me cry.
My condolences to the families that lost loved ones
Haha hella suspect how there just “happen” to be 2 water trucks on scene. Couldn’t they look at flight records and see exactly gotta many people were scheduled to fly on that day???
I did not have sex with that woman, nor did I inhale. Like after they take the marijuana that was grown in south Humbolt up to northern Humbolt to burn; (after being confiscated) and then going downwind for a hit. Funny as a rubber crutch as my ex used to say. Not funny Magee, very sad.
The ntsb may have more to say, but looks to me like case closed, Sargent Preston. What about it, King? Nothing left except for the lawyers, judges and insurance companies. Right on. Kind of suspicious. Looks like it might have been some flat landers coming up to get in on some of the cash crop. Either that or the mexican drug cartel does not like competition? Call in the FBI! Either that or political b.s.
I stand corrected on the pilot and his experience. I did NOT know him but only knew Steve to have gotten his pilot’s license maybe 3 yrs ago or so and I assumed he was the pilot.