NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On January 20, 2015, about 2005 Pacific standard time (PST), a Beech 36, N999CJ, departed cruise flight and impacted desert terrain near Mountain Pass, California. The commercial pilot and one passenger were fatally injured; the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal cross-country flight. Night visual meteorological (VMC) conditions prevailed in the area, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight departed California City Municipal Airport (L71), California City, California, about 1910 with a planned destination of Henderson Executive Airport (HND), Henderson, Nevada.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic control (ATC) radar and voice communication information indicated that the airplane contacted ATC at 1911 after departure from L71. The flight proceeded on course, and climbed to a cruise altitude of 7,500 ft mean sea level (msl). About 1954, an ATC controller advised the pilot that the airplane was passing through an area of poor radar coverage and that they should regain radar contact in several minutes. The pilot acknowledged. About 2001, radar contact was reestablished for about 1 minute before contact was lost again at an altitude of about 7,400 ft msl. At 2014, the controller called the pilot to advise that radar contact had not yet been reestablished; however, the pilot did not respond, and subsequent attempts to contact the pilot were unsuccessful. An Alert Notice (ALNOT), was issued, and a search for the airplane was initiated by the Civil Air Patrol and local law enforcement agencies.

The pilot was carrying a personal GPS locator, which reported its location every 10 minutes until manually turned off or until its battery was depleted. The locator was activated on the night of the accident at 1910. Its signal followed the route of flight, sending GPS locations every 10 minutes until 2001. The following day, the GPS locator sent out two signals, at 1433 and 1713; the wreckage was subsequently located at the location of the signals at an elevation of 3,335 ft msl, about 0.4 nautical miles (nm) northwest of the airplane's last radar return.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

A review of FAA airman records revealed that the 71-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, single-engine sea, multiengine land, instrument airplane, and glider. The pilot held a third-class FAA medical certificate issued on February 20, 2013, with a limitation that he must wear corrective lenses. The pilot did not report his total flight experience on his application for the medical certificate. On his previous medical certificate application, dated February 2011, the pilot reported 15,000 total hours of flight experience.

A review of the pilot's logbook entries from May 19, 2014, until the time of the accident revealed that his last logged flight before the accident flight was on September 4, 2014. The pilot's most recent flight review was completed on April 25, 2014. There were no entries for night flights or for actual or simulated instrument flight. The pilot had owned the airplane since November 25, 2008; however, his total flight time in the accident airplane make and model could not be determined.

The pilot's son reported that the pilot did not normally fly at night, and he was concerned when he received notification from the GPS locator of the flight departing later than its planned afternoon departure. He further stated that the pilot needed to be in Henderson for a doctor's appointment the next morning.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was manufactured in 1968, and was equipped with a Continental Motors IO-520 series reciprocating engine. Review of the airplane's maintenance logbooks revealed a total airframe time of 5,009.3 hours at the airplane's most recent annual inspection on June 16, 2014. The tachometer read 5,100.2 hours at the accident scene.

The engine total time at the last annual inspection was 1,492.81 hours, and time since major overhaul was 239.41 hours.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The nearest weather reporting station was a Bureau of Land Management and National Interagency Fire Center weather station located about 17 nm north-northwest of the accident site. At 1951, the station recorded a temperature of 46° C, dew point 32° C, and wind from 131° at 3 knots with gusts to 8 knots.

Review of weather radar imagery revealed that the accident site was located in an extensive area of light reflectivity values, with small, isolated areas of moderate reflectivity values. Infrared satellite imagery identified cloudy conditions at the accident location that corresponded to cloud layers located about 19,200 ft and 26,400 ft. A model sounding for the accident location about the time of the accident indicated that the freezing level was likely about 9,000 ft msl. An AIRMET for moderate ice was valid in the area of the accident site between the freezing level and 22,000 ft. There were no SIGMET advisories valid for the area of accident site at the time of the accident.

About 2020, the pilot of a Cessna 172 flying near the accident site reported strong downdrafts at 10,000 ft msl.

The extent to which the pilot had familiarized himself with the forecast weather conditions for the flight could not be determined, since there was no record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing from an official, access-controlled source. Earlier on the day of the accident, the pilot contacted Lockheed Martin Flight Service to request information about a potential temporary flight restriction at the destination airport; however, no weather information was discussed, and no flight plan was filed at this time.

Astronomical Data

Astronomical data obtained from the United States Naval Observatory for the location of the accident, indicated that on the evening of the accident, sunset occurred at 1658, and the end of civil twilight occurred at 1726. Moonset occurred at 1737.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

Investigators examined the wreckage at the accident scene. The terrain was mostly flat, sandy desert. The first identified point of contact was a ground scar. The debris field was 1,000 feet long, oriented on a magnetic heading of 160°.

The airplane impacted terrain in a left-wing-low attitude. The wingtip slid along the ground until the nose contacted the ground in an approximate 45° nose-low attitude. The airplane was highly fragmented. Major structures observed were the outboard half of the right wing with an attached aileron, the cabin roof, the lower aft cabin and rear fuselage, and tail assembly without elevators. There was no evidence of fire. The separated fuel selector valve was positioned to the left-wing tank. The 406-MHz emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was separated from it mounting plate and was fragmented during the accident sequence.

The engine was separated from the airframe and was found upright next to a small dirt mound about 545 ft from the initial impact crater. The engine crankshaft propeller mounting flange was separated, but remained attached to the propeller. All cylinders remained attached and in place. The alternator face gear was exposed. The engine-driven alternator was separated. The propeller governor was separated, and the governor case was open, exposing the flyweight assembly. The induction air and exhaust systems were impact-separated and not observed.

The 3-bladed propeller was found near the initial impact crater. All three blades remained attached to the damaged propeller hub, and each blade was marked with either an A, B, or C to identify each blade. Blade A was the least damaged and displayed chordwise scratching on the blade face. Paint transfer was noted, and several gouges were noted on the leading edge. Blade B displayed reverse bending along its length. The end of Blade C was separated about 22 inches from the blade shank. The separated portion was not located. Deep scratching was evident across the blade face, and a deep gouge was noted on the trailing edge approximately 12 inches from the blade shank. Rearward bending began about 12 inches from the blade shank.

The wreckage was recovered to a secure storage facility and was examined in further detail on March 10, 2015. Examination revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The San Bernardino County Coroner's office completed an autopsy; the cause of death was listed as massive blunt trauma.

The FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological testing of specimens of the pilot. Testing was positive for amlodipine, a calcium channel blocker, in lung and muscle tissue; metoprolol, a beta blocker, in lung tissue; and valsartan, an antihypertensive, in lung tissue. The pilot had reported the use of these medications on his most recent FAA medical certificate application.

NTSB Probable Cause

An in-flight loss of control for reasons that could not be determined based on available information.