Event WPR14LA080

Factual narrative

On December 29, 2013, at 1253 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172N, N4936D, impacted power transmission wires during an aborted landing at Whiteman Airport (WHP), Pacoima, California. Vista Air, Inc., operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and the private pilot receiving instruction (PUI) sustained minor injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage due to impact forces. The local instructional flight departed Pacoima about 1200. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. During an attempted landing on runway 30, the airplane touched down on the runway adjacent to intersection Delta and then became airborne again. The air traffic controller heard the engine sounds increase as the airplane turned 90 degrees left. Shortly thereafter, witnesses reported that the airplane's left wing collided with power transmission lines. The airplane then descended into a building in a used car sales lot. The CFI reported that due to the high winds, he was the flying pilot during the landing. He stated that as the airplane touched down, they hit a gust of wind and became airborne. The airplane drifted left of runway centerline and the CFI added power in an attempt to crab into the wind and avoid the air traffic control tower. The airplane continued to drift left and collided with power transmission lines. The pilot not flying estimated that upon encountering the wind gust that the airplane climbed about 50 feet above the runway, he further stated that on the attempted go-around that "another gust of wind hit us and we turned on our side. We dropped like a rock into a set of power lines." The reported winds at WHP during the timeframe of the accident were ranging from 350 degrees at 24 knots, 320 degrees at 22 knots, 360 degrees at 26 knots, and 360 degrees at 25 knots, respectively. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The private pilot and the flight instructor were conducting a local instructional flight. The pilot reported that, due to high wind, the flight instructor took the controls during the landing. He added that, as the airplane touched down, it encountered a wind gust and then became airborne. The flight instructor applied power in an attempt to crab into the wind and avoid colliding with the air traffic control tower. The airplane then encountered another wind gust, ascended to about 50 ft, continued to drift left of the runway, and then rolled. The flight instructor was unable to maintain control, and the airplane subsequently descended and collided with power transmission lines, impacted a building, and came to rest in a nearby parking lot. The reported wind at the airport about the time of the accident was a 22-knot crosswind gusting up to 26 knots. The pilots reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Response/compensation - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Ability to respond/compensate - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Instructor/check pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Contributed to outcome
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Residence/building-Contributed to outcome