History of Flight
On March 6, 2009, at approximately 1353 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172N, registration N726RJ, collided with the ocean about 40 nautical miles west of Oceanside, California. Golden Wings Flying Club operated the airplane under 14 CFR Part 91. The certificated private pilot is presumed to have sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The local personal flight departed Montgomery Field, San Diego, California, around 1148. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that witnesses observed an airplane entering the ocean in a nose-low attitude. The witnesses maneuvered their boats to the site and observed debris and an oil slick. The Coast Guard recovered several pieces of debris, including a seat.
Golden Wings reported that a pilot rented one of their Cessna 172 airplanes, N726RJ. The renter had the airplane scheduled between 1100 and 1700. The airplane and pilot did not return from the scheduled flight and were not located at neighboring airports.
Recorded radar data depicted a target at a mode C altitude of 700 feet ascending from Montgomery Field at 1148. It climbed along the coastline on a northwesterly heading. It was climbing through 11,500 feet when it made a left turn to a westerly heading near Newport Beach, California. The target ascended through 12,500 feet at 1255:35, and through 14,000 feet at 1310:10. It then turned left to the south about 1323. It tracked around Catalina Island and turned to a southeasterly heading toward San Diego. The target remained above 14,000 feet until 1352:25. At this point, the target was descending and began turning to the right (west). It lost 13,000 feet in the last minute, and the last target was in the immediate vicinity of the reported accident site.
Pilot Information
The 75-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land, issued on September 26, 2007. He held a third-class medical certificate issued on March 5, 2008, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. Review of the pilot’s logbooks indicated a total time of 252 hours, all in single-engine airplanes. Approximately 207 hours were in the accident make and model, with 113 hours as pilot-in-command. The pilot had flown 16 hours in the previous 90 days and 2 hours in the previous 30 days.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a Cessna 172N, serial number 17272431. Review of the airplane’s logbooks revealed a total airframe time of 5,389 hours at the last 100-hour inspection on November 3, 2008. The logbooks contained an entry for an annual inspection dated April 15, 2008. The engine was a Textron Lycoming O-320-H2AD, serial number L-6966-76T, with a total time in service of 1,276 hours at the last 100-hour inspection.
Meteorological Information
The closest official weather observation station was Oceanside (KOKB), 40 nautical miles and 050 degrees from the accident site, at an elevation of 28 feet mean sea level. An aviation routine weather report issued at 1352 PST stated winds from 220 degrees at 10 gusting to 17 knots, visibility 10 miles, skies clear, temperature 15°C (59°F), dew point 7°C (45°F), and altimeter 30.05 inches of mercury.
Additional Information
The Coast Guard recovered several pieces of wreckage. One piece had a part number that Cessna Aircraft Company identified as an upper left hand fairing from a Cessna 172, applicable to the accident airplane's serial number range. The airplane was not equipped with an oxygen system. The pilot was not recovered, and no autopsy or toxicology testing could be performed. Federal Aviation Regulation 91.211 governs supplemental oxygen use, requiring it for the minimum flight crew above 12,500 feet msl for more than 30 minutes and above 14,000 feet msl.