The Air Traffic Controller issued the flight a heading of 030 (toward the
mountains), evident in this video
http://www.cbs8.com/story/32010167/air-traffic-controllers-desperately-tired-to-save-san-diego-pilot-before-crash.

But that vector appears to have been omitted from the NTSB report.

At this point, it looks like ATC made an error to me.

--------------------------
You can see where the 030 sent the flight on maps on this page:
http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2016/0...san-diego.html

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Newly released recordings reveal that Dr. Thomas Bruff, the
pilot killed in a small plane crash in the Los Angeles National Forest Sunday,
lost contact with air traffic controllers moments before the crash.

The Cessna R182 Skylane RG was flying from Montgomery Field in San Diego to
Santa Monica when it crashed into Brown Mountain. The last radar contact was
around 8:30 a.m.

The audio recordings reveal the urgency in air traffic controllers' voices as
they tried to communicate with Dr. Bruff because he was flying too low. Their
efforts to get him to a higher elevation were met with silence.

According to the audio recordings, Dr. Bruff was in constant contact with air
traffic controllers as he made his way from Montgomery Field in San Diego to
Santa Monica.

As he flew over Los Angeles, the 57-year-old pilot went silent.

Air traffic controllers repeatedly tried to reach him to warn him about his low
altitude. All contact was lost with Dr. Bruff about six miles North of the Rose
Bowl.

------------------
Video and ATC audio he
http://www.cbs8.com/story/32010167/a...t-before-crash

----------------------
http://ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviati...o=2&pgsize=200
NTSB Identification: WPR16FA111
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Sunday, May 15, 2016 in Altadena, CA
Aircraft: CESSNA R182, registration: N133BW
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any
errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been
completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation
or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and
used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident
report.

On May 15, 2016, about 0829 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna R182, N133BW, was
destroyed when it impacted terrain during cruise flight near Altadena,
California. The airplane was registered to San Diego Skylane LLC., and operated
by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part
91. The private pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was fatally injured.
Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules
(IFR) flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The cross-country flight
originated from Montgomery Field, San Diego, California, at 0737, with an
intended destination of the Santa Monica Airport (SMO), Santa Monica,
California.

Preliminary information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
indicated that the pilot was being vectored for an instrument approach to SMO.
The pilot established radio communication with the controller and subsequently
acknowledged obtaining weather information at the destination airport. About 2
minutes, 26 seconds later, the controller issued the pilot a heading change to
290 degrees and a descent clearance to 3,000 feet for vectors to final
approach. However, the controller received no response from the pilot despite
multiple attempts over the course of about 2 minutes. The pilot then
transmitted that he was on a 030 degree heading. The controller continued to
issue vectors away from rising terrain and made several attempts to communicate
with the pilot; however, no further radio communication from the pilot were
heard. Radar contact with the airplane was subsequently lost and an alert
notice (ALNOT) was issued by the FAA. The wreckage was located later that
evening by a Los Angeles County Sheriff Office air unit. The wreckage was
located within mountainous terrain near Brown Mountain, about 2 miles north,
northwest of Altadena. Law enforcement personnel and initial responders
reported that the airplane was mostly consumed by a post impact fire. Recovery
of the wreckage is currently pending.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
http://ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviati...e-41e5c707734f
Pilot name: Thomas Bruff

Airman: THOMAS CHRISTOPHER BRUFF
Personal Information
THOMAS CHRISTOPHER BRUFF

XXXX WARING RD STE 7
SAN DIEGO CA 92120-2700
County: SAN DIEGO
Country: USA
Medical
Medical Class: Third, Medical Date: 6/2015
MUST WEAR CORRECTIVE LENSES.
Certificates
PRIVATE PILOT
Date of Issue: 6/16/2010
Certificate: PRIVATE PILOT Print
Ratings:
PRIVATE PILOT
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE

Limits:
ENGLISH PROFICIENT.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://fox5sandiego.com/2016/05/15/s...near-pasadena/

One dead after plane from San Diego crashes near Pasadena
POSTED 9:54 PM, MAY 15, 2016, BY FOX 5 DIGITAL TEAM AND JASON SLOSS, UPDATED AT
01:15AM, MAY 16, 2016

SAN DIEGO - One person died after a small airplane that departed from a San
Diego airport crashed in the mountains north of Pasadena Sunday, authorities
said.

The white Cessna 182 aircraft with blue stripes was spotted before 9 a.m. near
Mount Wilson in the Angeles National Forest, according to a Los Angeles County
Fire Department dispatcher. The wreckage was near Mount Wilson Road at the
Angeles Crest Highway, state Route 2.

A heavy deck of clouds limited visibility to 200 feet, the dispatcher said.

"They (search and rescue teams) can see it, but they're unable to tell if there
are any passengers," she said. "They're having an access problem."

The FAA reported the pilot had indicated a flight from San Diego to Santa
Monica, west of Los Angeles. The crash site was not on a direct route, as Mount
Wilson is about 90 miles northwest of San Diego and 35 miles northeast of Santa
Monica.

Radar data from Flightaware.com showed that the plane had departed from
Montgomery Field in San Diego at 7:37 a.m. Sunday, and was apparently in an
approach pattern to Santa Monica Airport when it flew in a straight line to the
northeast. The radar path ended near Mount Wilson.

FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the plane had been en route from Montgomery
Field to Santa Monica. It lost contact with ground controllers when it was 17
miles east of Van Nuys Airport, but no time of the contact loss was released.

The Cessna's tail number was N133BW, and FAA records indicate it was owned by a
San Diego company.

The plane was among a fleet belonging to the Plus One Flyers club at Montgomery
Field.

“You join the club as a pilot or as a student under the supervision of a flight
instructor. You pay your dues and if you’re checked out in a particular
airplane, you can fly it. You just get on the schedule and go fly it," said
local pilot Bill Winsor.

Shane Terpstra, a safety officer with the club, said the planes are regularly
checked out by mechanics.

“Very nice airplane, for the age. It’s very well-maintained. I’ve flown it many
times myself. A lot of the more experienced pilots choose to fly this -- it's a
little faster," said Terpstra.
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