Julian, CA, USA
N7145U
MOONEY M20E
The pilot departed on a 65-mile cross-country personal flight over mountainous terrain with a planned destination of his home base. The pilot contacted air traffic control (ATC) for visual flight rules (VFR) flight following. During the course of the flight, the pilot experienced turbulence at 8,500 ft and descended to 4,500 ft. When an ATC controller informed him that he was in an area of high terrain, the pilot stated that he was familiar with the area and could maintain his own terrain obstruction clearance. Several minutes later, radio and radar contact were lost, and an alert notice was issued several hours later. Sheriff's helicopters attempted to search the area but had to abandon their efforts due to inclement weather. The following morning, the airplane was located on the side of a mountain with a 50-percent grade at an elevation of 4,200 ft and near the last radar contact. Postaccident examination of the recovered airframe and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Weather reports for the area indicated that the mountainous terrain was most likely partially obscured by clouds; therefore, it is likely that the pilot was maneuvering to maintain VFR flight when the airplane collided with the mountainous terrain. The sedating antihistamine diphenhydramine was found in cardiac blood. However, diphenhydramine undergoes significant postmortem redistribution. At the level detected, the investigation was unable to determine if the medication would have impaired the pilot around the time of the accident.
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 9, 2013, about 1445 Pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20E, N7145U, collided with terrain near Julian, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The private pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed from impact forces. The cross-country personal flight departed Palm Springs, California, at 1404, with a planned destination of Gillespie Field, El Cajon, California, which was about 65 miles south of Palm Springs with mountainous terrain in between. Visual meteorological (VMC) conditions prevailed at the reporting station nearest to the accident site, and no flight plan had been filed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the pilot was receiving visual flight rules (VFR) flight following from Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZLA). The pilot contacted Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control (SCT) after departing Palm Springs. He stated that the intention was to fly toward Thermal, California, which was southeast of Palm Springs, and proceed to Gillespie if the weather permitted him to land VFR. He advised that he was climbing to 8,500 feet msl; SCT advised him to proceed on his own navigation, and contact ZLA. At 1416:12, the pilot established contact with ZLA at 7,300 feet over Thermal. About 13 minutes later after an inquiry from ZLA, the pilot informed them that he experienced turbulence at 8,500, and had descended to 4,500 feet. The controller informed him that he was in an area of high terrain; the pilot stated that he was familiar with the area, and could maintain his own terrain obstruction clearance. At 1433:27, ZLA cleared the pilot to switch to SCT, and the pilot acknowledged. Five minutes later, the SCT controller contacted ZLA to see if they were still talking to the pilot. The ZLA controller was not; SCT indicated that they had not established radio contact, and also lost radar contact. At 1440:52, the SCT controller stated that radar contact was reestablished, but not radio contact. SCT reported that radar contact was lost again with the target turning eastbound at 1445:51, at 4,500 feet and 5 miles south of Julian. An alert notice (ALNOT) was issue by ZLA at 1706. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department was notified of the missing airplane at 1818. Helicopters from the Sheriff's ASTREA division attempted to search the area, but had to abandon their efforts due to inclement weather after determining that the flying conditions were unsafe. Ground units utilized network-based cell phone signal analysis off the pilot's cell phone, and located the airplane in the vicinity of the last radar target on the side of the Volcan Mountain at 0115 on October 10, 2013. The wreckage was on a 50 percent grade at an elevation of 4,200 feet. They reported that the airplane had fragmented. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONA review of FAA airman records revealed that the 55-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. The pilot possessed a third-class medical certificate issued on January 16, 2012. It had the limitations that the pilot must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. An examination of the pilot's logbook indicated an estimated total flight time of 881 hours as of the last entry on August 12, 2013. He logged 7 hours in the previous 90 days. He had an estimated 226 hours in this make and model, and completed a biennial flight review on March 1, 2012. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe airplane was a Mooney M20E, serial number 384. The engine was a Lycoming IO-360-A1A, serial number L-800-51. Logbooks for the airplane were not available. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONRamona (KRMN), California, (elevation 1,395 feet, 17 nautical miles (nm) southwest of the accident site) was the nearest weather reporting station. Aviation routine weather reports (METAR) issued around the time of the accident were: 1443 PDT wind from 230 degrees at 9 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky 2,500 feet scattered, 3,500 feet broken, 5,000 feet overcast; temperature 14/57 degrees C/F; dew point 9/48 degrees C/F; altimeter 29.78 inches of mercury. 1453 PDT wind from 250 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 18 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky 2,500 feet broken, 3,200 feet overcast; temperature 14/57 degrees C/F; dew point 9/48 degrees C/F; altimeter 29.78 inches of mercury. METARS for San Diego, Montgomery Field (KMYF) (elevation 427 feet, 8 nm west of the destination airport) issued around the time of the accident were: 1400 PDT special wind from 230 degrees at 14 knots gusting to 19 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky 2,900 feet broken, 4,600 feet overcast; temperature 17/63 degrees C/F; dew point 9/48 degrees C/F; altimeter 29.80 inches of mercury. 1453 PDT wind from 180 degrees at 13 knots gusting to 17 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky 2,700 feet broken, 6,000 feet overcast; temperature 17/63 degrees C/F; dew point 9/48 degrees C/F; altimeter 29.78 inches of mercury. AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe airplane was a Mooney M20E, serial number 384. The engine was a Lycoming IO-360-A1A, serial number L-800-51. Logbooks for the airplane were not available. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe County of San Diego Coroner, Office of the Medical Examiner, completed an autopsy, and ruled the cause of death as blunt force injuries. The FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological testing on specimens of the pilot. Analysis of the specimens revealed no findings for carbon monoxide or volatiles. They did not perform tests for cyanide. The report contained the following findings for tested drugs: atenolol detected in blood and urine; 0.032 (ug/ml, ug/g) diphenhydramine detected in blood; diphenhydramine detected in urine; ranitidine detected in urine, but not detected in blood; and 53.7 (ug/ml, ug/g) Salicylate detected in urine. Atenolol is a prescription medication for blood pressure marketed as Tenormin. Ranitidine is a non-sedating acid reducing medication available over the counter and often marketed as Zantac. Salicylate is a byproduct produced by the body during the metabolism of aspirin. Diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine used to treat allergy symptoms and as a sleep aid. It is available over the counter under various trade names including Benadryl and Sominex. It carries the warning that it may impair mental and/or physical ability required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks such as driving or operating heavy machinery. TESTS AND RESEARCHInvestigators from the NTSB and Lycoming examined the wreckage at the facilities of Blackhawk Helicopters, El Cajon, on October 23, 2013. They observed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction of the recovered airframe or engine. A full report is contained within the public docket for this accident.
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering to avoid clouds in mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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