(RepublicanInformer.com)- A witness captured on camera the moment two planes crashed in the sky, resulting in the deaths of three persons. A horrific photo captures the moment of impact between the two aircraft.
On August 18, just before 3 p.m., two aircraft collided in the air as they approached Watsonville Municipal Airport: one was a twin-engine Cessna 340 carrying a pilot and a passenger, while the other was a single-engine Cessna 152 carrying only the pilot. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has just issued a preliminary accident report that details their investigation into the circumstances that led up to the fatal incident.
The report states that the Cessna 152 was performing landing and takeoff drills and had already completed four “touch-and-go” landings on that particular day. According to the report written by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the pilot of the Cessna 340 “said he was 10 miles out and planned to descend for a straight in approach to runway 20.” About a minute later, the pilot of the 152, who was in the air for more training, informed air traffic control that he wished to land on runway 20. He became aware of the 340 approaching him from behind and radioed in that he would go around “because you are coming up on me very soon.”
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, “on the Cessna 152’s tail,” another pilot saw the Cessna 340 while flying over the Watsonville airport. The moment the two planes collided was captured on camera by a witness standing on the ground.
After that, the 340 “banked to the right,” but its left wing still made contact with the 152, which resulted in both planes crashing into the ground. According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Coroner, the collision claimed the lives of three people: Carl Kruppa, 75, of Winton, California; Nannette Plett-Kruppa, 67, of Winton; and Stuart Camenson, 32, of Santa Cruz.
The family of Camenson has claimed to the media that he was the one who piloted the Cessna 152. They said that he had degrees in chemistry and earth sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz and that he worked in the university’s information technology department.
In June 2020, Camenson successfully completed the training required to acquire his pilot’s license.
The comprehensive report published by the NTSB has further details.
