NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On March 25, 2006, about 0945 pacific standard time, a Mooney M-10 airplane, N9533V, sustained substantial damage during an impact with terrain following an in-flight loss of control, about 20 miles east of Salinas, California. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal cross-country flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The solo private pilot received fatal injuries. Instrument and marginal VFR meteorological conditions prevailed along the route of flight. No flight plan was filed for the flight, which departed the Watsonville Airport, Watsonville, California, about 0900. The flight was bound for Plainview, Texas.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on March 27, the FAA aviation safety inspector who visited the accident site said the airplane impacted in steep, hilly terrain, in a nose low, near vertical attitude. He said the airplane did not pass through brush and low trees located directly behind the wreckage. According to the inspector, the foreman of the ranch where the airplane crashed, told him that on the morning of the accident there was low cloud cover, and three-quarters of a mile visibility in rain.

During telephone conversations with the NTSB IIC on March 31, pilot-rated witnesses said the accident pilot arrived at the Watsonville Airport on Friday night to pickup the accident airplane, which he had just purchased. They said the pilot refused a checkout in the new airplane, and planned to depart that evening after dark, in deteriorating weather conditions, for his home in Texas, stating he needed to be home before Monday. The local pilots convinced the accident pilot to delay his departure until the following morning. They said the pilot declined a second offer of a checkout in the airplane the following morning. One witness who spoke with the pilot on the morning he departed, said he checked local weather via a computer, while the pilot preflighted and fueled the accident airplane. He said weather to the east was not conducive to VFR flight, and suggested to the pilot that he fly south down the valley to avoid the weather and rising terrain to the east. He said the last thing the pilot asked before leaving was the identifier for Lancaster Airport, Lancaster, California, which he input into a handheld global positioning system (GPS) unit. The witness said a direct route to Lancaster would not have taken the pilot far enough south to avoid the weather. The witness said when the airplane departed about 0900, the ceiling was about 1,600 feet above ground level, and the visibility was 5 miles in rain. The airplane wreckage was located about 35 miles east-southeast of the Watsonville Airport, along a direct route to Lancaster.

INJURY TO PERSONS

The solo pilot received fatal injuries.

DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT

The airplane struck the ground in a near vertical attitude, and received substantial damage from impact forces.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

An examination of the pilot's personal logbook and FAA records, revealed that the pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. He had accumulated about 4,583 total hours of flying experience, with about 3,072 of those hours in single-engine land airplanes. His FAA class 3 medical certificate was issued in February, 2006. An entry in the pilot's logbook indicates he completed a biennial flight review on September 13, 2005.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The accident airplane was a year model 1970, Mooney M-10 Cadet, single engine, two place, fixed tricycle-gear airplane. According to airplane logbook entries, the airplane had accumulated about 2,247 total airframe hours, and received an annual inspection on January 17, 2005. According to the previous owner there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The departure airport at the time of departure (0900), reported 10 miles visibility, wind 230 degrees at 5 knots, and an overcast layer of clouds at 3,600 feet above ground level (agl). Within 30 minutes after departure, the airport reported 9 miles visibility in rain showers, scattered clouds at 1,300 feet agl, broken clouds at 2,100 feet agl, and an overcast layer at 4,600 feet agl. The airport elevation is 163 feet above sea level.

The closest weather reporting station to the accident was the Salinas Airport, about 20 miles west of the accident site. At 0930 the airport reported the current weather as 9 miles visibility in light rain showers, winds 270 degrees at 6 knots, a broken layer of clouds at 3,000 feet agl, and an overcast layer at 3,600 feet agl. The subsequent observation at 0953 reported 9 miles visibility in light rain showers, wind 240 degrees at 8 knots with gusts to 16 knots, and a 3,500 foot agl overcast. The field elevation of the Salinas Airport is 85 feet above sea level.

The foreman of the ranch where the accident occurred, said the weather at the ranch the morning of the accident was less than 1 mile visibility in rain showers, and low clouds obscuring the surrounding mountains.

COMMUNICATIONS

There were no known communications with the accident airplane.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The accident site is located in the foothill/mountainous area between the California coast and the central valley, about the 2,400 foot elevation. The terrain is steep hills descending toward the west, with adjacent peaks as high as 3,000 feet above sea level. The vegetation is composed of grasses, brush, and deciduous trees.

The airplane impacted on steep terrain with the nose pointed down the slope. All of the wreckage was located intact, and control continuity was established for all the control surfaces. The nose of the airplane had crushing damage from the bottom of the nose up and aft. Both wings exhibited full span up and aft crushing from the leading edge rearward. The right wing was flexed rearward with crushing at the aft portion of the wing root. The left wing was flexed forward with tension tearing from the trailing edge forward to the left landing gear attachment point. The tail cone aft of the baggage compartment exhibited crushing on the right side, and tension tearing on the left side. The tail was deflected to the right from the airplane's centerline, and flexed downward. The ground at the impact site had a high sand content, and the propeller, which was painted black, was burnished along the length of the blades. The leading edge of the propeller also had dents and rock chips.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

A postmortem examination of the pilot was performed under the authority of the San Bonito County Sheriff/Coroner's Office, Hollister, California, on March 29, 2006. The examination of the pilot revealed the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries due to a light airplane crash. Tissue samples were sent to the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for toxicological examination. Atenolol was detected in the urine and blood, and Naproxen was detected in the urine. Atenolol is typically used to lower blood pressure, and its use was not reported to the aero medical examiner during the pilot's last physical examination. Naproxen is available as an over counter medication similar to ibuprofen, and is generally used for minor pain and inflammation.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The accident airplane was not examined by the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC). The on-site examination was conducted by an FAA air safety inspector at the request of the IIC. All photographs are courtesy of the FAA and local law enforcement.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's continued flight into known adverse weather, and his failure to maintain sufficient airspeed, which resulted in a loss of control and an inadvertent stall/spin during cruise flight. Factors associated with the accident are a low ceiling with reduced visibility, and an inadvertent stall/spin.