NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On September 28, 2005, approximately 0842 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150, N1238Q, impacted mountainous terrain 8 miles southeast of Taft, California. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was operated by KCSI (Kern Charter Service, Inc.) Aerial Patrol Inc. of Bakersfield, California, as an aerial surveillance flight under the provisions of a waiver issued under 14 CFR Part 91 (the waiver was for low altitude operations). Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the local flight. The airplane departed from the Kern County Airport (L17), Taft, around 0807.

According to the general manager of KCSI, the accident pilot normally conducted their pipeline patrol operations out of L17. The pilot was responsible for conducting the patrol operations, flight record keeping and reporting, refueling operations (from a self-service fuel truck owned by KCSI), and was to hangar the airplane following operations. The pilot normally conducted three patrol operations throughout the day with the following schedule:

0730 - 1030 Patrol mission

1030 - 1400 Break

1400 - 1600 Patrol mission

1600 - 1700 Break

1700 - 1830 Patrol mission

According to company personnel, the pilot called in on the morning of the 28th and left a phone message indicating the tachometer time following the previous day's missions. He did not call back throughout the day on the 28th. On the 29th, the pilot's roommate called KCSI personnel and indicated that the pilot never came home on the 28th and the roommate had checked the L17 hangar and airport area throughout the evening. Following the call from the roommate, KCSI issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT) for a missing airplane. The pilot's roommate indicated that he was supposed to be home for lunch on the 28th to help with an air conditioning issue, but he never came home or called.

Aerial searches for the airplane were conducted by the California Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and the Kern County Sheriff's Department. They reported hearing no emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal. The airplane was located in a mountainous, bowl-shaped, canyon on the 29th at 1900, at the following coordinates: 35 degrees 07.64 minutes north latitude by 119 degrees 33.37 minutes west longitude.

According to the operator, the patrols were supposed to take place north of L17 over relatively flat terrain; however, the accident site was located to the southwest of L17 in mountainous terrain.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with a single-engine land airplane rating. He also held a private pilot certificate with a helicopter rating. He was not instrument rated. He was issued a second-class medical issued on December 30, 2004, with the limitation: must wear corrective lenses. The operator reported that the pilot had been conducting patrol missions for 9 years, and, according to his logbook, had accumulated about 9,900 hours of flight time.

Review of the pilot's flight logbook indicated that in the 90 days preceding the accident he had logged 421.4 flight hours. All of the flights logged were aerial observation flights. The last entry in the logbook was dated September 7, 2005. There were no entries in the logbook for time carried forward.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The 1971-model Cessna 150L airplane, S/N 15072538, was powered by a 100-horsepower Continental O-200A engine, S/N 251621. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated 8,599.4 hours of flight time, and the engine had accumulated 776.5 hours since its last major overhaul.

Review of the airplane's maintenance records indicated that it received its most recent 100-hour inspection on September 26, 2005, approximately 9.5 operating hours before the accident. Review of the maintenance records revealed no evidence of any uncorrected maintenance discrepancies.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

At 0754, the reported weather conditions at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California, located about 38 nautical miles northeast of the accident site, were wind from 120 degrees at 6 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, sky clear, temperature 18 degrees C, dew point 9 degrees C, and altimeter setting 30.08 inches Hg.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The accident site was located at an elevation of 2,880 feet mean sea level (msl), and about 100 feet below the top of a ridge in a bowl-shaped ravine. The accident site consisted of an initial impact point which contained remnants from the windshield and nose cowling. The airplane was located about 70 feet from the initial impact point along a 220-degree bearing. The airplane's wings remained intact and attached to the fuselage; all of which came to rest upside down. The tail remained attached to the fuselage via control cables; however, the empennage skin was torn and twisted. The engine, with the propeller attached, was separated from the airframe and came to rest at the base of the ravine, approximately 185 feet down the 25-degree slope from the main wreckage.

According to the first responders and the Federal Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the accident site, the seat belt and shoulder harness were not utilized by the pilot. An ELT was installed on the airplane, but according to the FAA inspector, it was torn loose from its antenna. All of the flight controls were accounted for at the accident site and no anomalies with the airframe or engine were noted. The flaps were retracted and the fuel tanks contained a blue-colored liquid consistent in color and odor as that of 100 low-lead aviation gasoline.

On October 1, 2005, the wreckage was examined at the accident site by representatives from Cessna Aircraft Company and Teledyne Continental Motors under the supervision of the FAA inspector. The representatives reported that their inspections revealed no evidence of any mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airframe or engine. The engine was retained for further testing.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy of the pilot was conducted by the Kern County Coroner Division in Bakersfield, California on September 30, 2005. The autopsy report did not reveal any pre-existing medical conditions that would have contributed to the accident. Toxicology tests conducted by the FAA's Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide and ethanol. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine were detected in urine.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

The engine was test run under the supervision of an NTSB investigator at the facilities of Teledyne Continental Motors in Mobile, Alabama, on December 7, 2005. The engine experienced a normal start on the first attempt without hesitation or stumbling in observed RPM. The engine RPM was advanced in steps over a period of 15 minutes for warm-up in preparation for full power operation. The engine throttle was then advanced to the full open position and held for 5 minutes where it sustained its rated RPM of 2700. The engine was advanced to full throttle from idle 6 times where it performed normally without any hesitation, stumbling or interruption in power. The test run of the engine did not reveal any abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation and production of rated horsepower.

Radar data was obtained from the FAA's Bakersfield Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility that showed an aircraft departing L17 at 0807 squawking a VFR transponder code of 1200. The radar track indicated this airplane maneuvered initially to the southwest and then to the northwest of L17 for a period of approximately 35 minutes. The last 5 radar hits, recorded between 0841:29 and 0842:20, show this airplane headed south at an altitude of 2,700 feet msl. The last radar hit was recorded at 35 degrees 08 minutes 14.21 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 33 minutes 38.97 seconds west longitude. This position is approximately 0.6 nautical miles northwest of the accident site.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The wreckage was released to a representative of the owner on March 22, 2006.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance while maneuvering. The mountainous terrain was a factor.