NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On December 15, 2003, about 0600 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 150J airplane, N61303, collided with terrain about 528 yards northwest of the Corona Airport, Corona, California. The airplane was owned and operated by the student pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The student pilot and his passenger were fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan had not been filed. The personal flight originated from Corona Airport at the time of the accident.

The pilot contacted Riverside Flight Service and requested a standard weather brief at 0424 on December 15th. The recorded conversation revealed that the pilots intended takeoff time was 0500, his destination was Torrance (Zamperini Field), and he intended to fly at 3,000 feet.

On December 22nd concerned family members reported the pilot and passenger as missing since December 15th. Riverside County Sheriffs Department Search and Rescue crews located the wreckage on the afternoon of December 29th, in a marsh and wooded area 528 yards northwest of the departure end of runway 25 at Corona Airport.

The Corona Airport manager stated to the Safety Board investigator that he reviewed airport access gate records that showed the pilot's airport gate access card was used on 0517, on December 15th.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pilots records show that the pilot possessed a student pilot certificate with a date of issuance of April 17, 2002. Airman records obtained from the FAA on December 23, 2003, show the pilot reported he had accumulated 200 flight hours. There were no medical waivers or restrictions listed on his third class medical certificate.

The pilot's flight logbook for the period of 1990 to 1998 was recovered in the wreckage and recorded a total flight time of 179.6 hours. No other positively identifiable pilot logbook was recovered. Family members reported that the pilot flew at least twice a week traveling between Corona and Torrance, California. This commute had been his regular routine for the last 5 years. The pilots father did not believe that his son kept a flight log book.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The single engine, high wing airplane was equipped with seats for two occupants. A review of the airplane logbook that was recovered at the accident site revealed that the last annual inspection was completed on December 1, 2002. No current engine logbook was located. An airframe logbook with entries dated from 1972-1990 and an engine logbook with entries dated from 1972-1997 were both located within the wreckage. All the logbooks recovered had been extensively exposed to water and mud.

The airplane was equipped with a Teledyne-Continental O-200A engine, serial number 214340-72A. Attached to the engine was a McCauley 1A101 fixed-pitch propeller, serial number 66181.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The pilot contacted Riverside Flight Service and requested a standard weather brief at 0424 Pst on December 15th. The recorded 0424 conversation between the pilot and the weather briefer revealed that the nearest airfield to Corona that reported weather was Chino (which is 5 miles north of Corona). Chino was reporting visibility of one-half mile with vertical visibility of 100 feet. The visibility in the region varied from one-quarter to three-quarters mile and was expected to start clearing in the east about 0700. VFR flight was not recommended. The skies in the coastal areas, Los Angeles International Airport and Torrance, were currently clear, except for Long Beach, which was reporting IMC.

The Corona Airport manager reviewed airport security video tapes and reported to the Safety Board Investigator that the pilot accessed the Corona Airport gate using his access card at 0517 on December 15, 2003. The airport security video recorded the weather at the time as being dark and foggy.

There are no weather records for the Corona Airport on December 15, 2003. At 0553, Chino Airport reported winds of zero knots, one-quarter mile visibility in fog, a 200 foot overcast cloud layer, and the temperature and dew point were both reported as 5C. At 0609, Riverside Airport, located 8 miles northeast of Corona, reported winds of zero knots, a visibility of 1 mile in mist, a vertical visibility of 100 feet, and the temperature and dew point were the same at 3C.

Sunrise on December 15th was at 0646 and civil twilight was at 0618.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The wreckage was located in a wooded marshland area with the coordinates of 33 degrees 54.009 minutes North Latitude and 117 degrees, 36.728 minutes West Longitude. The area is a drainage basin for the surrounding area between the Santa Ana River and the Temescal Wash. The relatively flat basin is densely populated with 80 foot tall deciduous trees each about 1 foot in diameter at the base. The ground was wet and piles of loose twigs and leaves indicate recent flooding. A muddy horizontal water line was found on various parts of the wreckage.

The main wreckage was oriented on a bearing of 280 degrees magnetic. Several tree limbs were noticed to have been severed about 44 feet above the ground, 63 feet from the wreckage, on a bearing of 100 degrees. Below the tree were several broken branches, a fiberglass wheel fairing, and a large section of windscreen plexiglass. Numerous trees with in a few feet of the wreckage exhibited freshly removed bark scar damage, and pieces of aluminum imbedded into the scared area.

The right wing was vertically wrapped 180 degrees around a one-foot diameter tree. The aileron had detached and the flap was present on its tracks. The right wing fuel tank was located about 20 yards away on a bearing of 280. The fuel tank was bulged at the forward end, the fuel cap was present, and the tank contained mud and water.

The center fuselage was located next to the right wing. The instrument panel was propped on the ground with the firewall splayed out, hinged at the top of the fuselage interface. The engine was not attached to the firewall. The airplane key was in the ignition and selected to the right magneto position. The carburetor heat handle was detached, the mixture and throttle control handles were both out about an inch and a half. The attitude gyro was missing out of its instrument casing but other engine and flight instruments were present.

The tail was detached below the dorsal section of the vertical stabilizer. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were attached together with the top two feet of the rudder creased and wrinkled. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator were attached to the tail cone area. The left horizontal stabilizer was separated from the tail and bent 90 degrees on a horizontal plane. The left elevator was found close by with a semicircular crush pattern along its entire leading edge length. The elevator trim rod was extended 1.625 inches.

The left wing was wrapped 90 degrees around a one foot diameter tree at ground level. The aileron was detached and the flap was present. The left fuel tank outlet line was broken open. The tank exhibited outward bulging. The outer third of the wing was detached and found a few yards away.

The engine was completely detached from the firewall and laid 33 feet from the main wreckage on a bearing of about 300. The left hand exhaust manifold and muffler was present, the right hand exhaust system was not on the engine. Mud and water were pooled in the right hand exhaust ports. The carburetor was detached from the induction manifold just above the throttle valve. Wood splinters were found jammed into the number 3 cylinder's cooling fins. The McCauley fixed pitch propeller was attached to the crankshaft. Both blades of the propeller were bent aft around the engine cylinders with both blade tips exhibiting a slight forward bend. A quarter-sized area of leading edge polishing was identified on one blade and chordwise striation signatures marked through the propeller paint on both blades.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner completed the autopsy of the pilot and concluded the cause of death to be from blunt force injuries. Bio-Tox Laboratories of Riverside, California, performed toxicological testing from muscle specimens. The results of analysis of the specimens were negative for tested drugs.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

The wreckage was moved to Eastman Aircraft, Corona, California, and examined further by investigators.

Airframe

All flight control surfaces and balance weights were found close within the wreckage vicinity. The rudder cables were traced from the rudder bar to the rudder bell crank. All cable connections to the rudder bar and bell crank were present. One side of the rudder cable system was trapped in a crushed area of the fuselage and the cable was found to be cleanly severed. The elevator control cables were traced from the elevator cockpit control bell crank to the elevator flight control surface bell crank. The elevator trim cables were traced from the cockpit to the tail and with one location severed and broom-strawed. Cessna representatives calculated the trim to be set at 4 degrees tab up. The aileron cable chains were found on the control yolk sprockets and the cables traced out to the aileron bell cranks. Cessna technicians also measured the flap jackscrew and reported that the flaps were fully retracted.

The fuel lines from the wing tanks were traced down to the fuel selector valve. The fuel selector valve was entrapped in folded and deformed floor decking. The fuel selector handle was broken so that only the pointer remained on the valve. The fuel selector valve was removed and a fuel smell was noticed to come from the valve. By passing air thru the valve it was determined that the valve was in the off position.

The vacuum pump was found separated from the engine. The frangible coupling drive was not found with the engine or the vacuum pump. The rotor of the vacuum pump was fractured into 6 distinct wedges with 4 out of the 6 vanes intact; each vane measured approximately one inch long.

Engine

The engines top spark plugs were removed. The spark plugs were embedded with mud and water, and showed no signs of mechanical damage.

Investigators manually rotated the crankshaft. The crankshaft rotated freely, the valves moved approximately the same amount of lift in firing order, and the gears in the accessory case turned freely. Investigators obtained thumb compression on all cylinders in firing order.

The magneto timing was found to be set at 30 degrees. The recommended timing setting stamped on the engine identification plate is 28 degrees. The nuts attaching both magnetos to the accessory drive case were found to be only finger tight. The two magnetos were removed and examined. The magneto posts were covered in mud and dirt. Neither magneto produced a spark when their gears were manually rotated.

The oil pressure screen was clean and free of debris.

The carburetor was severed from the induction system at the throttle valve. Disassembly of the carburetor revealed mud and water in the bowl. The metal floats were slightly crushed and the needle valve showed no signs of wear. The fuel filter finger screen had a small amount of white putty like material deposited in its interior.

NTSB Probable Cause

The student pilot's intentional VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain aircraft control as a result of spatial disorientation.