NTSB Identification: WPR11FA316
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, July 07, 2011 in Watsonville, CA
Aircraft: MOONEY M20F, registration: N7759M
Injuries: 4 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On July 7, 2011, about 1920 Pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20F, N7759M, was substantially damaged when it impacted a parking lot and a building shortly after takeoff from Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI), Watsonville, California. The private pilot and the three passengers received fatal injuries. The personal flight was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the flight.
The airplane was co-owned by the pilot and one other individual. According to the co-owner, the airplane was based at WVI. Relatives reported that the pilot, his wife, and their two children planned to travel to Groveland, California, for the weekend. Lockheed Martin Flight Services (LMFS) information indicated that the pilot contacted LMFS by telephone on the day of the accident about 1023, and again about 1417, to obtain weather briefings. The pilot informed the LMFS representative that his intended destination was Pine Mountain Lake Airport (E45), Groveland.
According to information provided by several eyewitnesses, the airplane departed from WVI runway 20. Two witnesses, in separate locations, and one of whom was a pilot, reported that the climb angle after takeoff appeared "steep." Both observed the airplane commence a very rapid left roll when it was approximately 500 feet above the threshold of runway 2. The airplane appeared to roll until it was "nearly inverted," and the nose "dropped," so that it was pointing towards the ground. It descended rapidly, and completed about two "tight turns" or "spirals" before it appeared to begin to recover, and then disappeared behind trees. Both witnesses observed fire and smoke immediately thereafter. Ground scars indicated that the airplane first impacted a parking lot about 700 feet southeast of the threshold of runway 2, slid about 130 feet forward, and struck the building. Parallel slash marks in the pavement were consistent with propeller strikes from an engine that was developing power. The airplane structure was severely disrupted by the impact, and portions were consumed by fire.
According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) information, the airplane was manufactured in 1974, and was equipped with a Lycoming IO-360 series engine, and a 3-blade propeller. The pilot was issued his private pilot certificate on March 17, 2011. The airplane co-owner indicated that they purchased the airplane in late November 2010. The co-owner indicated that the pilot accrued about 140 total hours in the airplane, which included most of his flight training for his pilot certificate.
The WVI 1853 automated weather observation included winds from 190 degrees at 6 knots; visibility 10 miles; clear skies; temperature 16 degrees C; dew point 12 degrees C; and an altimeter setting of 29.91 inches of mercury. Multiple witnesses reported that the low layer of stratus clouds that was typical for the region at that time of year, was present just southwest of the airport. Some witnesses reported that the boundary of the stratus layer was coincident with Highway 1, which ran perpendicular to runway 2/20, and was situated about 1/4 mile from the threshold of runway 2.
Dan Chauvet is a retired corporate pilot and high-time flight instructor and Watsonville resident.
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
-- Yogi Berra
Dan Chauvet
But Yogi, how does one make a critical decision?
In Watsonville Airport's 71-year history, never had an aircraft impacted a home or building. That changed on July 7, 2011. In an especially tragic fatal accident, a Mooney M20F, N7759M, struck the hospital annex. Aboard was the Houghton family. The NTSB has not issued its final report yet with specifics and probable cause.
In the NTSB's investigation they solicited observations; I responded regarding weather conditions. Immediately after the accident I received a phone call and then went to the site. The fog situation was typical, covering part of the airport, with the cloud bases lowering toward Highway 1, the freeway. A witness a pilot who observed the accident saw a too-slow steep turn and a stall-spin. He asked why the pilot had not used the east-west runway. Why pick the worse option?
Takeoffs can be made from four runways opposite ways on two different pavements. Runways are numbered by magnetic compass directions. Adding a zero 0 to the runway number is the approximate magnetic direction. The pilot of the Mooney elected to takeoff south on runway 20 about 200 degrees toward the fog. If he had taken off to the west on runway 26 about 260 degrees, he could have made a normal departure, a climbing turn to the right, away from the stratus. Or if he had departed to the east on runway 8 he could have made a normal climbing turn to the left and again been away from clouds. Or he could have taxied down to runway 2 and taken off straight-out, north 017 degrees and stayed low until out from under the fog layer.
Or he might have been able to lower the aircraft's nose to a normal climb and climbed straight out through the stratus. But he was not instrument rated, qualified to fly in the clouds. For a non-instrument rated pilot, it's a violation of the FAA regulations to fly in clouds and he risked experiencing spatial disorientation and loss of control.
Or, if something is not right with the aircraft, the pilot, or the weather conditions -- flight "canceled" the airlines do.
Since the inception of Watsonville Municipal Airport, flight instructors and pilots have flown a right-hand pattern using the east-west runway to avoid the fog. It demonstrates to student pilots how to operate safely; and it allows flights schools to continue business.
At Watsonville Airport there is a "preferred runway" designation, for noise abatement reasons. That might promote the tendency for some pilots to get in the habit of taxiing to runway 20 for takeoff south toward the freeway. A Watsonville city official proposed closing the east-west runway to allow houses to be built just west of the airport. That would have eliminated safe options. The east-west runways keep the airport usable when wind, birds, maintenance, and disabled aircraft make the other runways non-operational. Thinking-wise, the "preferred runway" must be the safe runway.
Every two years flight instructors are required to complete a Flight Instructor Revalidation Course FIRC. Decision-making has been added to the FIRC because poor decisions are involved in many accidents. The FIRC tries to show flight instructors how to develop a pilot's mental warning system, yellow and red lights of impending danger. These trigger safe decisions. Beyond the initial flight training, decision making is included in required recurrent training similar to a drivers test.
Flight instructors, fellow pilots, those putting on safety seminars -- and airport operators -- need to promote assessing options, and taking the safe one.
Dan Chauvet is a retired corporate pilot and high-time flight instructor and Watsonville resident.
Source: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com
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