Plane Struggled to Land Before Fatal Crash Near Kneeland Airport Last Month, NTSB Preliminary Report Reveals
The National Transportation Safety Board released information on the crash of the Cessna T206H airplane which crashed near Kneeland Airport last month, on July 23, resulting in the deaths of the two men onboard–Pilot Gabriel Kulp, age 49 and Thomias Smith, age 60, Helicopter Mechanic. The aircraft, operated by DynCorp International Inc., was on a business flight transporting a mechanic and helicopter parts to the Kneeland area for the Cal Fire copter which was working. According to the report, the plane crashed at about 11:04 a.m., shortly after the plane attempted to land at the small airport located in Humboldt County.
This preliminary report says that the aircraft departed from McClellan Park in Sacramento around 9:49 a.m., and began its approach to Kneeland about an hour later. According to eyewitnesses, the plane, appeared to be struggling during the landing attempt. According to the NTSB report, “Witnesses reported that they observed the airplane land hard about midfield and bounced. The airplane then landed hard and bounced a second time before it drifted left of the runway centerline and disappeared from their line of sight.”
NTSB graphic of July crash at Kneeland Airport.
The wreckage of the aircraft was found in a wooded area approximately 700 feet north of the departure end of the runway at an elevation of 2,570 feet.
NTSB graphic of the impacts and debris at the Kneeland runway.
The plane was destroyed by the post-crash fire, but, according to the report, “all of the major structural components of the airplane were identified at the accident site.” Investigators noted significant impact damage, including a concave depression on the outboard section of the right wing, consistent with a collision with trees. The aircraft came to rest inverted, and the site exhibited signs of a severe fire.
A column of smoke rises from the plane crash near the Kneeland Airport. [Photo by Mark McKenna]
The complete preliminary NTSB report is below:
Report_WPR24FA252_194756_8_25_2024 10_14_35 AM (1)Thanks to the Times Standard who reported on this previously.
Earlier:
- Airplane Crash at Kneeland Airport
- [UPDATE 7:23 p.m.: Two Confirmed Fatalities] Details Emerging From Agencies on Kneeland Airport’s Fatal Plane Crash This Morning
- HCSO Responds to Aircraft Crash at Kneeland Airport: Two Lives Lost, Investigation Underway
- Two Occupants of Tuesday’s Fatal Plane Crash at Kneeland Airport Identified
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Like many of these rural airfields, Kneeland is a tricky landing zone. When our woods product company wanted to land there, we rented a plane with a pilot experienced in landing there. I’m sorry for the loss of these loved ones.
The struggle to stay among the living is what we all face, and will face, until that day when our struggle is over.
Bummer… Pilot error. Runway slopes upwards… may have screwed up his depth perception. Looks like he literally flew into the runway.
2nd ‘hard landing’ broke off the ring used for aircraft tie down ?
That’s a massive hit. Aircraft likely would have been damaged at that point.
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Bummer again.
From the way he approached at a higher angle, then went around to try flatter, it looks like he realized the upwards slope, and tried to correct for it. The report doesn’t say anything about how much weight the plane was carrying. Does this aircraft have a black box, that might indicate his flap settings & airspeed?
Shouldn’t he have known about the upwards slope of the runway before arriving there? Not blaming him just asking if it’s standard procedure to look up pertinent info on a target runway before arriving to a surprise visual…I’m no pilot but have been on many small planes and rural runways
Based on previous comment, that aircraft had flown into Kneeland before…
But that doesn’t mean that it was the same pilot…
https://kymkemp.com/2024/07/23/airplane-crash-at-kneeland-airport/#comment-1749496
May not be the same pilot, but I had a fantasy that airports would have a “notes” section where pilots could record eccentricities of any and all airports, available to all. I am sorry for these deaths, but was pilot error a factor?
Fubar first hit.
The plane didn’t struggle to land, the pilot did.
Indeed.
I’m not a pilot, nor I’m I purporting to be an investigator, but neither the initial approach, nor the secondary approach after the aborted first landing attempt, and go around, don’t look like normal approaches, at all…
They look pretty erratic, with abrupt changes in course, not smooth at all…
It would be interesting to see the landing data for a few other successful landings there, and maybe a successful go around or two…
I can’t help but wonder if it’s possible that the pilot may have had some sort of medical emergency, and if it was actually the helicopter mechanic that was heroically trying to land the plane, instead…???
Therefore, I would be curious as to what kind of radio traffic, was, or wasn’t, present during the landing attempts, that is, if anyone else was even monitoring it…
I used to hear pilots using communications for Garberville Airport, just in case there were other aircraft around…
I realize that Kneeland doesn’t have a communications, “tower”…
Seems like someone probably had a scanner going…
If no communication was heard, that might be indicative of who was actually flying the plane, and trying to land the plane…
If the pilot was heard during the landing on attempt, that would at least clear up who was actually flying the plane…
I mean no disrespect…
This was a terrible tragedy…
Condolences to their friends and families…
The data here is very granular so it is easy to misinterpret as erratic. Airspeed management and the decision making behind that final go around are likely where the problem lies.
I doubt there was much of importance said over the radio. Likely just standard calls on the unicom frequency. The Kneeland Helitack crew may have been monitoring it. They were likely the witnesses that the NTSB describes.
I doubt much other information will be located. There’s no “black box” in this aircraft. The modern avionics in these planes do store a fair bit of data, but it sounds like the post-crash fire destroyed most everything.
The altitude may have affected the passenger adversely.
The pilot was relatively inexperienced.
Kneeland seems like a difficult airstrip to land at…
I initially thought it might have been possible that the pilot had a medical emergency prior to landing…
After reading the information about the passenger, and his cardiac medical history, combined with the other information elsewhere of the quick ascent to an altitude of 10,500′, that they were flying at, the associated lower level of oxygen and it’s potential effects, I wonder if maybe the pilot was possiblity faced with a passengers serious medical emergency on his hands, while also trying to fly and land the plane…
That would have definitely complicated things for the pilot and the passenger, making them much more difficult to manage for both of them…
If relevant…
If something could be learned from it, in order to prevent a recurrence, that would be prudent.
I think it is far more likely that this was a simple case of a relatively inexperienced pilot struggling to land a heavy aircraft on a short, difficult runway in mountainous terrain with at least a self-induced pressure to perform. The first go around is a likely an indication of this.
If there was some medical emergency with the passenger or even the pilot, I think it is unlikely that they would have continued to Kneeland. A turnback to Sacramento or Redding would probably make more sense. Even if they continued, pilot and mechanic/passenger were likely more familiar with Rohnerville which would have offered a much easier landing on a longer runway in flatter terrain with closer medical facilities. In any case, if it were a medical situation, they likely would have contacted the Helitack base either directly or over the unicom to notify them.
I am curious to know what helicopter parts and tools were on their aircraft and what the weight and loading situation. If they were bringing only a filter and screwdriver up, that would be very different from carrying a Huey transmission and large tool kit. It probably won’t be the smoking gun, but a heavy aircraft would only increase the difficulty of the landing.
I do think it is reasonable to consider whether mild hypoxia from about 30 minutes spent at just over 10,000 feet may have in some way influenced the pilot’s decision making/performance. I would be curious to know what Amentum’s practices are with supplemental oxygen.
Without seeing something data of other planes landing there, and maybe going around, it’s difficult to tell if it’s out of the ordinary or not…
For anyone interested in airplanes check out the YouTube channel Blancolirio. He hasn’t done a video yet on the Kneeland crash but I’m keeping an eye out for it
See the article below posted earlier by “The Real Guest”. It includes discussion with Juan Browne AKA “Blancolirio” discussing the accident. The pilot here was a Grass Valley local which is where Juan Browne is based out of. It may be too personal for him to do a video on it.
https://www.theunion.com/news/it-s-just-a-tragedy-community-mourns-pilot-and-business-owner-gabriel-kulp/article_0bb6a33c-504a-11ef-9b03-2bf0a01831a1.html
This seems relevant…
https://www.mantecabulletin.com/obits/thomias-smith/
“Thomias (Tom) Smith, age 60, of Carmichael, Ca and Basin ,Wyoming was killed in the CalFire Kneeland plane crash July 23rd 2024.
Tom was born November 21st, 1963 in Oxnard, Ca and grew up a Navy brat, traveling all over the United States. He attended high school in Japan and Virginia, where he taught himself to play guitar and played in bands all during his teenage years. After graduation he became a machinist and then a heavy equipment mechanic for 16 years before deciding to attend A&P school in honor of his grandfather Francis Cook. He attended school full time while working full time, graduating with high honors from the program in 2006. He worked with NASA for a short time and then started at CalFire/Dyncorp, working on their helicopters and helping to save many lives and homes. He was a dedicated, respected and loyal employee, diagnosing problems with the helicopters from his hospital bed only one day after suffering a cardiac arrest and was back on the job after a few weeks. He rarely missed a day of work and made himself available to anyone with a question.
He loved adventure and speed and raced his 1967 Pontiac GTO at dragstrips, raced motorcycles, motocross, downhill mountain bikes, cross country bikes, shot 3- Gun matches, and played on paintball teams. Tom loved music, especially metal and loved playing his guitars. He had a unique sense of humor and liked making people smile. He loved Wyoming, his dog Ryka, shooting guns, baseball, fishing, RC cars, muscle cars, and old trucks; but most of all he loved and cherished his family, always making time for them. His children and grandchildren were everything to him, and his legacy will live on in them.
He is survived by his loving wife of 38 years Luana, mother Sandra Wall of Manteca, Ca, son Timothy of Natomas, Ca, daughter and son in law Serena and Alex Green of Okinawa, Japan, daughter Allison of San Antonio, Tx and grandchildren Melvin Blomberg, Gregory Green, Jameson Blomberg, Marceline Green, Lauren Guballa Smith, River Pawelczyk, Winter Pawelczyk, Margaux Green, Garrison Green, sister Kaori Roman of Stockton, Ca, his aunt Donna Lee of Santa Rosa, Ca and many, many friends. He was preceded in death by his brother Christopher Cook, maternal grandparents; Francis and Wilma Cook and paternal grandparents Alan and Geraldine Dickson.
There will never be another like him. Our family is broken and will never be the same. The love we had for him was unparalleled. Please pray for us.”
https://www.theunion.com/news/it-s-just-a-tragedy-community-mourns-pilot-and-business-owner-gabriel-kulp/article_0bb6a33c-504a-11ef-9b03-2bf0a01831a1.html
“The aviation world lost a promising young pilot in Gabriel Kulp, 49, from Grass Valley on July 23 in a crash that is still under investigation.
What is known is that Kulp and his passenger, Thomias Smith of Carmichael, who also perished in the accident, departed McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento with a destination of Kneeland Airport in Humboldt County, where the fatal landing took place.
Juan Browne is the President of the Golden Empire Flying Association and said his group is grappling with the loss of such an avid aviator. Efforts are being made, Browne said, to determine exactly what went wrong on the flight.
“They (departed from) McClellan and he departed that morning with a mission to take a Cal Fire helicopter mechanic and a Quality Inspector up to Kneeland to inspect some helicopters,” explained Browne. “So he climbed up to about 10,500 feet and went VFR (Visual Flight Rules) direct to Kneeland and descended and did his pattern and had a crash on landing at Kneeland. ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) data is inconclusive. When you get too low to the ground the light tracking data stops short of the landing.”
In other words, Browne said, the instrument used to track and record the details of the flights expectedly went out of service just before the crash took place.
“We’re patiently awaiting NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board)’s preliminary report,” Browne said of the ongoing investigation. “All we know is that Gabe was involved in a landing accident in Humboldt while flying a Cal Fire Cessna 206 and Gabe was functioning as a contract pilot for Cal Fire, working for the company Amentum. (The ADS-B) cut off so that’s where we’re waiting for NTSB. Hopefully the report may be able to shed some info on this tragic landing.”
Browne continued: “(NTSB) reports will be out in a couple of weeks but the final may be a year to a year and a half. This is not a complex (investigation), so maybe a year. The NTSB is backed up with work and it takes a long time to hear back from all the other parties in the investigation – they have to get a report back from Cessna and different components that were involved in the aircraft.”
Kulp, said Browne, was known for being a family man and the owner of Ace Welding in Grass Valley. He was passionate about aviation and took the challenge head-on, with dreams of making his career out of a cockpit.
“He recently decided to change course and got bitten by the aviation bug and learned to fly,” Browne said. “He ended up jumping in with both feet, getting his pilot’s license and an Aviation Instrument Rating and commercial pilot’s license, and just this season he reached his major life goal to get paid to fly as a commercial pilot, especially with Cal Fire.”
By taking on work for Cal Fire, Browne said, Kulp was reaching a long-held goal and was realizing his potential.
“His long-term goal was to be a Cal Fire pilot flying the OV-10 Bronco and eventually an S-2 Air Tanker,” Browne said. “He wanted to become a tanker pilot for Cal Fire. So…he was on the perfect trajectory by starting out with this job. Cal Fire maintains a small fleet to do exactly what Gabe was doing on the day of the crash.”
The duties Kulp was performing helped Cal Fire maintain its fleet while transporting necessary parts as well as the mechanics needed to implement them.
The Golden Empire Flying Association is “devastated,” Browne said, by the passing of Kulp, a young and enthusiastic pilot who lived out a dream and was a role model for his family.
“We’re all quite shocked and I’m just devastated that I have to put out a little missive (to our club),” said Browne. “We’re absolutely devastated because the tragedy is that Gabe left behind a beautiful family—two boys who’ve been showing a clear interest in aviation, and other club members have been instrumental in helping the family with their immediate needs and that has been a wonderful help.”
Kulp will not be forgotten and his involvement with helping other young pilots achieve their goals will remain a legacy.
“As part of the club, one of the things we do is we raise money for aviation scholarships to help youth get into aviation, and Gabe was absolutely instrumental in helping us raise that for the youth aviation scholarship program,” Browne said.
“(Kulp) was an outstanding pillar of the community at large and the aviation community in part here at Nevada County and will be sorely missed,” lamented Browne. “We’ve got a lot of new young people coming into aviation and we need to make sure they are being trained. It’s just a tragedy when you see these things happen so early in a pilot’s career.”
These reports are really a waste of time and money. The plane crashed. Does it matter really matter how? Maybe the ntsb should investigate every car crash too to give us more information about what happened. Why DON’T they do this?
Yes, it really does matter. How can we prevent any more crashes if we don’t know what the problem was? Automobile crashes are investigated by local LEOs. We seldom get the results reported, but I want to know who is killing us on the streets and why.
There was no indication as to what the type of aircraft crashed. It does say they were at 10,500 feet which is above the altitude for aircraft without O2. That indicates a pressurized aircraft was needed. If the plane was NOT rated for above 10K altitude and maintained that altitude for an hour the lack of O2 could have affected the pilot’s VFR on landing. Unfortunately the fire may have burned the pilot beyond determining if he was O2 deficient.
@lack of O2
This is a tragedy that doesn’t need uninformed guessing. We all process this stuff differently; consider keeping your guesses to yourself next time!
Everything you said is incorrect!
Oxygen in this type of flight is not needed below 12,500. one can go 30 minutes up to 14,000 feet. The flight is documented as flying under the rules of “part 91″(Google “91.211 Supplemental oxygen”)
The aircraft type is documented as a 206. Pilots have rules about Oxygen, not planes!
I mean no personal attack here. It is unfortunate when uninformed keyboard warriors make hurtful wildly incorrect guesses when friends and family are nearby reading this. The NTSB is very good at this, let them do their job. It will take a year of more to get the final report in. This is just a preliminary report establishing certain known facts.
Bottom line here is Kneeland is a challenging airport for a number of reasons. The NTSB will look at all the factors and report on how it happened and share recommendations on how to avoid those risks. This is how aviation learns. It will take a year or two; we just have to be patient.
I agree that the wording is not how I would phrase it, but mild hypoxia can substantially alter decision making abilities and it is a reasonable concern given the profile of this flight.
I understand this was a part 91 flight and they weren’t required to use oxygen, but consider also what would be required of an aircraft operating under part 135. 14 CFR 135.89 says, in part, “Each pilot of an unpressurized aircraft shall use oxygen continuously when flying— (1) At altitudes above 10,000 feet through 12,000 feet MSL for that part of the flight at those altitudes that is of more than 30 minutes duration; and (2) Above 12,000 feet MSL.”
The FAA encourages oxygen use for all flights over 10,000 feet during the day and over 5,000 feet when operating at night for this reason.
They spent just about 30 minutes above 10,000 feet on this flight.
I don’t think hypoxia is going to be the smoking gun here, but it is worth considering whether it may have played some role in what initially appears to be poor decision making here. It would be interesting to see what Amentum’s practices are with supplemental oxygen in the cockpit.
That altitude also could have affected the passenger adversely…
I see no reason to bring up this sad story again. No matter what happened the two men on board perished in the crash. I sadly send my condolences to their families and friends again. May they continue to RIP.
It’s called an “after action review”, and it’s crucial to ever improving fire service safety…
In this case, it’s something that the FAA does, to improve aircraft and airline safety as well…
It’s not about criticism, its about acknowledging what happened, and possibly why it happened, in an honorable ongoing effort to lessen the chances of undesirable outcomes…
Everyone owes that to everyone else.
The people investigating the crash site already know what happened to the plane and why.
“The people investigating the crash site already know what happened to the plane and why.”
-Martin-
………………………………..
Perhaps, Martin, Perhaps…
However, if that information is shared with the people that made the decisions to initiate the transportation, and then there is a discussion about whether or not adjustments in protocol should be made regarding decisions to initiate such transportation in the future, such problems in the future may be avoided…
That’s important, don’t you think…???
A couple or three things that stand out to me in combination would suggest to me that this was an ill advised transportation…
Such decisions that would include such conditions should absolutely be avoided in the future.
Maybe you didn’t notice them.
I did.
Probably didn’t have enough airspeed after the second bounce and stalled. Came in hot and reduced throttle after first bounce…. but it takes a second for that to effect air speed…. hit hard again and lost airspeed on the second hit. Stalled the plane.