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Report Blames Pilot Error In July Crash That Killed 3

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By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 10, 2009

TAMPA - A plane crash that killed three people July 17 at Vandenberg Airport was caused by the pilot's "improper decision to take off with a tailwind and his failure to maintain runway alignment during initial takeoff climb," a recently released report states.

A National Transportation Safety Board brief of the crash, released Jan. 14, states that an examination of Harlan Northcott's Beechcraft Bonanza "revealed no evidence of precrash mechanical error or malfunction."

Northcott, 81, died in the crash. So did Patricia Snyder, 49, and Tyler McLellan, 15.

The Beechcraft's propeller hit an antenna 212 feet left of the center of the runway, according to the report. The plane, NTSB investigator Corky Smith said, was 45 to 49 feet in the air when it hit the 49-foot-tall glide slope antenna, used to help pilots in instrument-guided landings.

For 20 years, Northcott flew for Angel Flights, volunteering his time and the airplane. He loved to help people like Snyder, who was on her way home after receiving treatment at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.

A witness driving south on Interstate 75 saw the plane taking off, then start to drift to the left over the last third of the runway with the main landing gear retracted before hitting a pole, Smith said. The witness said the plane then cartwheeled before landing right side up and bursting into flames.

Northcott had a current pilot certification with instrument rating, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said. His medical certificate, which he received in August 2007, was also current. The FAA requires that every two years, pilots show they are in good health, have good eyesight, a good mental state and are taking only approved medications, Bergen said.

There is no upper age limit for pilots, she said.

Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691.

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