What happened
At approximately 1830, the pilot landed on a private, unlighted landing strip/road with the assistance of a car's headlights. After dropping off a passenger, the pilot departed the airstrip at approximately 1900, heading toward an area of rolling hills characterized by sparse population. Local residents reported hearing the aircraft depart, followed by the sound of the engine failing, and subsequently hearing an impact in a nearby grape vineyard.
The investigation
Examination of the wreckage determined that the airplane impacted the ground in a nose down attitude.
Maintenance records indicated that the last recorded annual inspection had taken place 12 months and approximately 299.5 flight hours prior to the accident. Approximately five months before the crash, an FAA Certified Repair Station (CRS) had provided the pilot/owner with a list of 15 "grounding discrepancies." These issues included:
- Cracked nose cowling
- Fraying seat belts
- Broken LH mag switch
- Cracked LH window and crazed LH windshield
- Inoperative stall warning
- Inoperative turbine inlet temperature (TIT) gauge
- Inoperative door latch safety
- Leaking hydraulic components
- Worn main gear trunion pins
- Cracks in wing lower skins
- Fuel leaks
- Loose rivets on RH flap
- Loose wing spar bolts
- Frayed elevator trim cable
According to the CRS manager, the only repair completed prior to the accident was the cracked nose cowling, though an engine log entry suggested the TIT gauge had also been replaced. Witnesses also noted that the pilot had been operating the aircraft with an inoperative landing gear retract system for roughly four months. During the post-accident examination, investigators verified that many of these listed discrepancies were still present on the aircraft; however, none could be directly linked to the cause of the accident.