Saturday, August 01, 2015

Cessna T337G Super Skymaster, N4CU: Fatal accident occurred August 01, 2015 in Santa Paula, California

Aviation Accident Final Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms


The National Transportation Safety Board traveled to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entities:  
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office;  Van Nuys, California 
Textron Aviation; Wichita, Kansas

Continental Motors; Mobile, Alabama 

NTSB Identification: WPR15FA227 
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, August 01, 2015 in Santa Paula, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/29/2016
Aircraft: CESSNA P337G, registration: N4CU
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

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.

The noninstrument-rated commercial pilot departed for the cross-country flight over mountainous terrain in instrument meteorological conditions. A witness observed the airplane take off from runway 22, disappear into an overcast layer at 300 ft above ground level (about 550 ft mean sea level [msl]), and then reappear heading in the opposite direction. The witness reported that the airplane departed the traffic pattern heading northeast. The wreckage was located in mountainous terrain at an elevation of 1,223 ft msl, 2.8 mi east of the departure airport. Meteorological data indicated that, at the time of the accident, a cloud layer extended over the accident site from about 550 ft msl to about 2,100 ft msl, and, at the elevation of the accident site, the terrain would have been obscured by clouds. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe or engine. The orientation of the wreckage indicated that, at impact, the airplane was heading south and traveling at a ground speed consistent with normal traffic pattern speeds. The damage to the airplane was consistent with controlled flight into the terrain, and the airplane's impact heading was consistent with the pilot attempting to return to the airport when the airplane collided with the rising terrain.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The noninstrument-rated pilot's decision to conduct a visual flight in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into mountainous terrain.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On August 1, 2015, about 0905 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna P337G, N4CU, impacted mountainous terrain about 2.8 miles east of Santa Paula Airport, Santa Paula, California. The commercial pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to the pilot and operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Santa Paula Airport and was destined for California City, California.

Airplane wreckage was located by California Resources Corporation employee who was working at the South Mountain Booster Plant. He located the wreckage about 1400 PDT on August 1. A witness reported seeing the airplane takeoff at 0902 from runway 22 at Santa Paula Airport. The airplane disappeared into a 300 foot above ground level (agl) overcast then reemerged after turning 180 degrees on a close downwind to the runway. It then departed on the downwind to the east.

The wreckage was located on the north side of South Mountain on a 40 degree slope populated with scrub trees at an elevation of 1,223 feet mean sea level (msl), 2.8 miles east of the departure airport. The initial point of impact was the left wingtip identified by wingtip fairing fragments and topped-off small trees/brush next to the main impact ground scar. Contained within the ground scar was the landing gear door. Clipped brush and ground scar evidence is consistent with a level attitude at time of impact. The airplane traveled upslope 20-30 feet beyond the initial impact point, along a 205° magnetic bearing direction.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 82, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and sea, and multiengine land issued June 11, 1995. He held a third-class medical certificate issued February 1, 2008, with the limitation that he must have glasses available for near vision. Additionally the pilot held a mechanic airframe and powerplant certificate, issued on August 7, 2008. The pilot's logbook was not located for examination. On the pilot's February 1, 2008, application for his medical certificate he reported total flight time of 3,290 hours.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The six-seat, high-wing, twin engine, retractable landing gear airplane, serial number P3370065, was manufactured in 1973. It was powered by a Rolls Royce TSIO-360D in the front, and a Continental Motors TSIO-360C(5B) in the rear, both capable of producing 225 horsepower. Both engines were equipped with McCaulley constant speed, two bladed, propellers. A review of the airplane's maintenance logbooks showed that an annual inspection was performed on July 31, 2014. At the time of the inspection the documented total time on the airframe was 2,246.7 hours. The front engine logbook documented that a 100 hour inspection had been completed on July 31, 2015, time since overhaul (TSOH) of 921.7 hours. The rear engine logbook showed that a 100 hour inspection had been completed on July 31, 2015, at 1,403.0 hours TSOH. Both engine inspections were signed by the pilot, who held a mechanic airframe and powerplant certificate. Family members of the pilot stated that the intention of the flight was to travel to California City, California, where a mechanic was going to finish the annual inspection.

METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION

The nearest weather reporting station was Camarillo Airport, located about 10 miles southwest of the accident site. At 0855 the automatic surface observation system (ASOS) recorded calm wind, 5 statute mile visibility in haze, a 700 foot agl overcast, temperature was 21 degrees Celsius, the dew point was 18 degrees Celsius, and the atmospheric pressure was 29.99 inches of mercury. The GOES-15 satellite visible image at 0900 depicts an area of low stratiform clouds and/or fog over the accident site and the departure airport, and generally hugging the California coastal sections. The San Diego upper air sounding plot supports cloud or stratus layer with tops to only 2,000 feet agl with a defined temperature inversion from 2,000 to 4,000 feet, stable atmosphere and light winds. The radiative cloud top temperature over the accident site was 292° Kelvin or 18.8° Celsius (C), which corresponded to cloud tops at 2,152 ft msl.

WRECKAGE & IMPACT INFORMATION

The wreckage was located on a 40° slope upright with the wings and tail sections intact, on a 137° magnetic bearing, and 20-30 foot ground scar oriented along 205°. The wings had separated at the wing roots but remained next to their approximate location along the fuselage. The forward firewall was displaced aft into the cockpit instrument panel and the cockpit floor was displaced upward into the cabin. The left tail boom remained attached to the left wing and extended aft. The stabilizer and elevator remained attached to the tail booms. Both vertical fins and rudders remained attached to the tailbooms. The forward engine was displaced down and to the left, the propeller had separated from the crank shaft behind the propeller flange. The aft engine remained attached to the aft engine mount and was displaced to the right. The propeller remained attached to the engine.

All flight control surfaces were present, and the flight control cables were traced and found continuous. Fuel was confirmed present in the left wing fuel tank and in each of the engine distribution valves. Both engine crankshafts were rotated manually and thumb compression achieved on all cylinders. Both propellers exhibited leading edge damage and blade tip damage consistent with power application.

MEDICAL & PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Ventura County Medical Examiner-Coroner, Ventura, California, on August 3, 2015. The cause of death was listed as "blunt force trauma."

The Federal Aviation Administration's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI), Forensic Toxicology Research Team performed toxicology on specimens from the pilot with negative results for ethanol and listed drugs. Tests for carbon monoxide and cyanide was not performed.



NTSB Identification: WPR15FA227
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, August 01, 2015 in Santa Paula, CA
Aircraft: CESSNA P337 -G, registration: N4CU
Injuries: 1 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 August 1, 2015, about 0905 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna P337G, N4CU, impacted mountainous terrain about 3 miles east of Santa Paula Airport, Santa Paula, California. The commercial pilot was fatally injured and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to the pilot and operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated at Santa Paula Airport and was destined for California City, California.

Airplane wreckage was located by California Resources Corporation employee who was working at the South Mountain Booster Plant. He located the wreckage about 1400 PDT on Saturday, August 1. A witness reported seeing the airplane takeoff at 0902 from runway 22 at Santa Paula Airport. The airplane disappeared into a 300 foot above ground level (agl) overcast then reemerged, after turning 180 degrees, on a close downwind to the runway. It then departed on the downwind to the east. 

The wreckage was located on the north side of South Mountain on a 40 degree slope populated with scrub trees at an elevation of 1,223 feet mean sea level (msl). The initial point of impact was the left wingtip identified by wingtip fairing fragments and topped-off small trees/brush next to the main impact ground scar. Contained within the ground scar was the landing gear door. Clipped brush and ground scar evidence is consistent with a level attitude at time of impact. The airplane traveled upslope 20-30 feet beyond the initial impact point, along a 205° magnetic bearing direction.

The nearest weather reporting station was Camarillo Airport, located about 10 miles southwest of the accident site. At 0855 the automatic surface observation system (ASOS) recorded calm wind, 5 statute mile visibility in haze, a 700 foot agl overcast, temperature was 21 degrees Celsius, the dew point was 18 degrees Celsius, and the atmospheric pressure was 29.99 inches of mercury. The GOES-15 satellite visible image at 0900 PDT (1600Z) depicts an area of low stratiform clouds and/or fog over the accident site and the departure airport, and generally hugging the California coastal sections. The San Diego upper air sounding plot supports cloud or stratus layer with tops to only 2,000 feet agl with a defined temperature inversion from 2,000 to 4,000 feet, stable atmosphere and light winds. The radiative cloud top temperature over the accident site was 292° Kelvin or 18.8° Celsius (C), which corresponded to cloud tops at 2,152 ft msl.






SANTA PAULA (CBSLA.com) — Officials said the wreckage of a small twin-engine plane that is believed to have crashed days ago has been found in a remote part of Santa Paula. 

The wreckage was found reportedly by a passerby around 3 p.m. Saturday near Loftus Canyon Road and Morgan Canyon Road.

Authorities said the pilot was found dead. There were no passengers on board.

The wreckage of the Cessna 337 was found in a mountainous area about four miles from the Santa Paula Airport.

CBS2’s Laurie Perez said the victim has been identified as a senior who lived in Ojai with his wife.

The man’s wife said he went out for a quick flight this morning but never returned home.

Locals said the man took the plane out hundreds of times without incident.

No witnesses saw the crash.

The plane came down in a remote area that is difficult to access, Perez reported. A maintenance man spotted the wreckage.

“He thought perhaps it was a car that went over the side and upon further investigation he realized it was an aircraft and called 911,” said Capt. John Harber with the Santa Paula Police Department.

“We went over the side to investigate and found one adult male who was deceased,” said Harber.

The fire captain believes early-morning fog might have hidden the crash from public view.

Michael Jewett saw the pilot just yesterday. He identified the man as Jim Breeding.

“I saw his airplane taxi out and get prepared for flight in the afternoon,” said Jewett.

Jan Breeding says her husband owned the plane for years and had been flying since he was 16-years-old.

She said aviation was his lifelong hobby and passion. She said her husband left around 8:30 this morning to meet friends in the sky.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

Breeding was 82 years old.

The FAA’s mandatory retirement age for commercial pilots is 65; however, that limit does not apply to private pilots.

SANTA PAULA, Calif. - An 82-year-old man has been identified as the person who died Saturday in a plane that crashed in the oil fields near Santa Paula. 

Ventura County Supervising Deputy Medical Examiner James Baroni said the person who died was James “Jim” Breeding of Ojai. An autopsy is planned for Monday, Baroni said.

Breeding was the sole occupant of the downed aircraft, which was reported at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday by a passer-by who spotted the wreckage of the twin-engine Cessna 337 on the side of a hill, roughly four miles southeast of the Santa Paula Airport, near Loftus Canyon Road and Morgan Canyon Road.

Sheriff’s Capt. Romano Bassi said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.

NTSB investigators were still working at the site Sunday morning, according to the sheriff’s department. A spokesperson for the NTSB could not immediately be reached for comment.

Breeding was trying to sell the plane, advertising it last month for sale online with an asking price of $89,500. He marketed it as a “Hangared California Plane last 25 years” with “near new tires, brakes and battery. Very good windows and interior.”

Information from the FAA shows the plane has been registered to Breeding since 2008, however the registration expired on July 31. The six-seat plane was manufactured in 1972 and declared airworthy in February 1973. Breeding’s FAA registration listed his address as a P.O. Box in Talkeetna, Alaska.

One person was reported dead after a downed airplane was found in the mountains near Santa Paula, the Ventura County Fire Department said. 


The downed aircraft was reported about 2:30 p.m. near Loftus Canyon Road and Morgan Canyon Road. A helicopter with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office reported an aircraft on the side of the hill. Officials said the sole occupant of the plane was dead. 

Crews on the scene reported that aircraft may have been down for a couple of days. 

According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the tail number of the plane indicated it was a Cessna T337G plane that was registered out of Talkeetna, Alaska. 

A person by the owner’s name and business name listed for the aircraft, however, had listed a Cessna P337G plane for sale for $89,500 in the past month, giving the same tail number for the plane as the one that crashed and indicating that he was in Santa Paula. He’d listed the plane as a “Hangared California Plane last 25 years” with “Near new Tires, Brakes & battery. Very good windows & interior.”

Information from the Federal Aviation Administration showed the plane was manufactured in 1972 and declared airworthy in February 1973. It had six seats, according to records.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office was requested to investigate the crash and the National Transportation Safety Board was notified of the incident, officials said. 

A coroner with the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office was called to the scene. The Ventura County and Santa Paula fire departments were also on the scene.

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