Amateur-built Glastar accident near Lompoc, California, July 15, 2019
On July 15, 2019 at about 4:15 pm local time, a 2000 amateur-built Glastar, registered N345BP, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Lompoc, California (Lompoc airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper glidepath during a night landing, which resulted in impact with a tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2019 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Lompoc, California · Lompoc · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Glastar, built 2000
- Registration
- N345BP · no longer on the register · serial WBS1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while on the base leg for his third nighttime landing, the runway lights turned off. Despite his failed attempts to turn on the runway lights, he completed his base-to-final turn about 200 ft above ground level. With the runway lights not illuminated, he decided to use the blue taxiway lights parallel to the runway as his reference to land. While on final approach, the airplane struck a tree and impacted the ground inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Collision during takeoff/land during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Effect on personnel
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LPC Lompoc CA
- Destination: LPC Lompoc CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 270° at 9 knots
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 19, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.