Incident Overview
According to an FAA inspector, an aircraft entered Santa Barbara's Class C airspace without authorization or communication with the control tower. The aircraft proceeded to overfly the airport before crashing approximately 3 miles east of the airport.
Pilot Condition and Medical History
A sheriff's deputy who responded to the accident scene reported that the pilot had requested in-flight refueling from the control tower. The deputy also stated that the pilot was incoherent. Subsequently, the pilot was involuntarily admitted for psychiatric observation. A subpoena was issued for the evaluation and discharge summary of the pilot. The attending psychiatrist reported that the pilot had a bipolar disorder.
The pilot did not possess an FAA pilot certificate. He did, however, possess a third-class medical certificate issued on September 22, 1992, but it had been expired for 3 1/2 years at the time of the accident.
Investigative Findings
The FAA inspector reported that no fuel was found onboard the aircraft or in the vicinity of the wreckage. Additionally, no preexisting anomalies were found.