Accident Overview
On January 24, 2009, at approximately 1042 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172S, registration N562AD, collided with the ground following a loss of engine power during a go-around at Oceanside Municipal Airport, Oceanside, California. The commercial pilot and the passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by California Flight Academy, El Cajon, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. An instrument flight plan was filed and activated for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal cross-country flight, which departed El Cajon at 1021, with a destination of Torrance, California.
Sequence of Events
According to FAA Air Traffic Control personnel, the airplane departed from Gillespie Airport, El Cajon, and established contact with approach control. The flight was cleared to climb to 6,000 feet mean sea level (msl). At 1028, the pilot reported climbing through 4,400 feet for 6,000 feet. No further transmissions were received. At 1038, the controller called the airplane and received no response. He noticed the airplane descending and made several more attempts at contact with no response. The airplane squawked transponder codes for radio failure and then for emergency as it descended toward Oceanside Airport.
During an interview on February 19, 2009, the pilot reported that in cruise flight near Oceanside, he determined the airplane was "leaking fuel at a very high rate." He did not see fuel leaking, but the fuel gauges moved steadily toward zero at a higher rate than normal. The radios were working, and the pilot did not recall seeing an alternator malfunction. He moved the fuel selector to the right tank, but the fuel gauges kept moving toward zero. The engine then lost power, so he began descending directly toward Oceanside for an emergency landing. He was unable to contact ATC during descent as the radios had failed. Approaching runway 24, he realized he was "too high and fast," so he overflew and reversed course at the west end to attempt landing on runway 06. Still "too high and fast" to land on runway 06, he did not have enough altitude or airspeed for another attempt on runway 24.
In a written statement on July 9, 2009, the pilot added that after switching to the right tank, he attempted a radio call to declare emergency but experienced a "complete electrical failure." He turned toward Oceanside, and as he descended, the engine lost power. He could not see Oceanside Airport until directly above it due to clouds. He "tried to land by circling from midfield but couldn't touch down at the runway, landed long and crashed."
The passenger, a student pilot, reported a similar sequence in an interview on January 26, 2009, except he did not report engine power loss after the pilot moved the fuel selector. He stated that as the airplane neared the end of runway 06, the pilot pulled up for a go-around, and "he did not recall hearing the engine come back to full power as the plane pitched up to a climb attitude."
In a written statement on February 12, 2009, the passenger stated that upon reaching 6,000 feet, the pilot engaged the autopilot. When he tried to disengage it to descend, it would not disengage, so he switched the avionics master switch off and back on. The pilot then "squawked [a transponder code] and told me to look out for traffic."
Witness Observations
Witness statements from Oceanside Police Department indicated the airplane was observed flying eastbound at low altitude about 0.5 miles east of the airport. One witness reported the airplane was "bobbling" in the air and that she knew from the unsteady flight pattern it was going to crash. Another witness reported the airplane was "very quiet and he was unsure if the engine was running." This witness observed the airplane impact the ground, slide forward, collide with and sever a sewer valve, then strike a wood pole and stop. The right wing and engine separated from the fuselage during the impact.
Post-Accident Examination
During salvage recovery, about 10 gallons of fuel were drained from the right tank and 15 gallons from the left. Examination at the salvage yard by FAA, Cessna, Lycoming, and California Flight Academy representatives revealed the firewall-mounted fuel strainer contained blue fuel that tested negative for water. The right fuel tank cap was loose when installed, with fuel stains on the upper wing surface near the cap but no streaks aft. The left tank cap was tight. The fuel selector handle was in the right tank position and the fuel shutoff valve handle open (forward).
The fuel selector valve was removed and found to be near, but not in, the right tank detent. If in that position in flight, fuel flow would have been partially restricted. However, impact damage (bent input shaft) precluded determining exact in-flight position.
The propeller remained attached; one blade undamaged, the other with leading edge gouging, torsional twisting, and chordwise scratches. Engine examination revealed no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions. A splice repair to the alternator output wire had evidence of electrical arcing; arcing was also observed on engine baffling and cowling near the splice. The alternator was retained for testing.
The avionics switch was a two-pole rocker controlling avionics bus 1 and bus 2. During examination, bus 1 switch was OFF, bus 2 switch ON. Power to communications radio 1 is supplied by bus 1; to the transponder by bus 2.
On April 3, 2009, the alternator was bench tested and found functional, producing 40 amps at 4,000 rpm with no abnormal indications.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane multi-engine land and instrument airplane, and a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land. He received all training from California Flight Academy under Part 141. His logbook indicated he passed the commercial practical test in a multi-engine airplane on April 20, 2008. No logbook entries from then until December 18, 2008. From December 18 to 21, 2008, he logged 11 flights: 3.0 hours in multi-engine and 13.0 hours in the accident airplane. No further entries. Total flight time: 298.6 hours, with 154.8 hours in the accident make and model.