History of Flight
On April 8, 2008, about 2123 Pacific daylight time, a Cirrus SR22, registration N868PC, was destroyed after impacting mountainous terrain in the San Bernardino National Forest while maneuvering, approximately 9 nautical miles west of Big Bear City Airport (L35), Big Bear City, California. The private pilot, the sole occupant and registered owner of the airplane, was killed. Instrument meteorological conditions existed in the area at the time of the accident. The personal flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and no flight plan had been filed. The airplane departed Flabob Airport (RIR), Riverside, California, about 2114, with its planned destination being L35.
A family member reported that the pilot made the 32 nm flight from RIR to L35 on a regular basis, primarily for commuting home from his business. A review of the pilot's personal logbook revealed that he had made 22 flights into L35 in the 60 days preceding the accident.
According to air traffic control personnel, the pilot reported his departure from RIR and requested visual flight rules (VFR) advisories to L35. The controller issued one traffic advisory after initial contact, then advised that no traffic was observed between him and L35. VFR services were terminated when the flight was about 12 miles west of L35.
When the flight failed to arrive at its destination, a concerned family member contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Search and rescue operations commenced the following morning, locating the airplane about 9 miles west of L35 at about the 8,400-foot level in mountainous terrain.
Personnel Information
The 52-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane ratings. His personal logbook indicated 2,159 hours of flight time, with 54 hours in the preceding 90 days, 34 hours in the last 30 days, and 1 hour in the preceding 24 hours. He purchased the airplane new in 2003 and completed the Cirrus Factory Training Course on August 8, 2003. He held a second-class medical certificate issued October 24, 2007, with a restriction requiring glasses for near vision.
Aircraft Information
The 2003-model Cirrus SR22 (serial number 0614) was a single-engine, low wing airplane of composite construction. It was equipped with an Avidyne EXP5000 primary flight display (PFD), an Avidyne EX5000C multi-function flight display (MFD), an S-TEC 55X autopilot, and engine monitoring. The airplane was retrofitted with XM Weather and Radio during its October 20, 2006, annual inspection. It was also equipped with a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). The airplane was powered by a Continental Motors IO-550-N (7) fuel-injected engine and a 3-blade, constant speed Hartzell propeller. The most recent annual inspection was performed on December 1, 2007, at a total time of 1,839.2 hours. A 50-hour inspection was performed on the morning of the accident at a total time of 1,885.4 hours. The last altimeter and static system check was performed on November 8, 2007.
Meteorological Information
At 2050, the L35 Aviation Weather Observing System (AWOS) reported wind 240 degrees at 9 knots, gusting to 18 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, broken clouds at 1,600 feet, broken clouds at 2,100 feet, temperature 0°C, dew point -3°C, and altimeter setting 29.80 inches of Mercury. At 2110, just prior to departure, the L35 AWOS reported wind 230 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 19 knots, visibility 7 statute miles, broken clouds at 800 feet, 1,500 feet, and 2,100 feet, temperature 0°C, dew point -3°C, and altimeter setting 29.79 inches. At 2130, the L35 weather reported wind 240 degrees at 8 knots, gusting to 19 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, scattered clouds at 800 and 1,300 feet, temperature 0°C, dew point -3°C, and altimeter setting 29.79 inches. The Aviation Area Forecast included Airmets Sierra and Tango, both valid until 0200 on April 9. Airmet Sierra indicated mountains occasionally obscured by clouds and precipitation. Airmet Tango indicated turbulence and low-level wind shear. Satellite imagery showed a band of low stratiform clouds with a second layer of higher cumulus clouds over the last known position. The moon was a waning crescent with 10% illumination, moonrise at 0840 the following day.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The NTSB investigator-in-charge performed an on-scene documentation on April 10, 2008. The accident site was located in rugged, remote mountainous terrain about 9 nm west of L35 at 8,344 feet mean sea level, 770 feet west of the summit of Baker Peak (8,535 feet). First impact signatures were evidenced by a freshly topped tree about 60 feet high, located 625 feet west of the main wreckage. Additional tree impact signatures were observed along the energy path oriented on a magnetic heading of 055 degrees. The main wreckage was on a north-facing slope of about 30 degrees, oriented on a magnetic heading of 045 degrees.
The fuselage was broken into several major portions. The firewall, instrument panel, and a front seat exhibited thermal damage. A section of the floor, three seats, and the FS 222 bulkhead had no thermal damage. The empennage was separated; the vertical and horizontal stabilizers were intact with impact damage. The left outboard wing section remained intact with impact damage. The ailerons, flaps, and various control cables were separated, with separations consistent with tension overload.
The engine was not located during initial documentation but was found about 1,950 feet down slope and north of the main wreckage during recovery. The propeller assembly was separated from the engine and located within the main wreckage. The spinner was crushed, and the blades exhibited S-bending, chordwise scratching, and trailing edge gouges.
The CAPS parachute was found completely out of the deployment bag, with suspension lines running uphill around a tree and returning downhill to the parachute near the empennage. The safety pin was located near the main wreckage. The activation handle was stowed, and the activation cable housing was partially missing. The rocket motor was in a tree about 30-40 feet east of the main wreckage and was visually examined and determined to be expended.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the San Bernardino County Office of the Medical Examiner attributed the cause of death to massive blunt force injuries. Toxicological testing performed by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team found no volatiles or tested drugs. Carbon monoxide and cyanide tests were not performed.
Tests and Research
A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine on April 18, 2008, revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation, except for the left magneto which would not spark. Subsequent bench testing of the left magneto revealed no anomalies. The MFD containing the engine monitoring data card was destroyed by thermal and impact damage, and no data was recovered. The PFD was retained for further examination. Data was successfully recovered from the PFD and plotted. The data showed that the altitude bug was set to 8,400 feet for the duration of the flight until about the last 20 seconds, where lower values were indicated. The magnetic heading bug was set to 51 degrees at about 21:22:12 and then to 66 degrees at about 21:23:17. The preliminary data plots ended at 21:23:19 and indicated a steady recorded altitude of 8,400 feet for about the last 3 minutes of the flight.