History of Flight
On April 18, 2009, about 1006 Pacific daylight time, a Champion 7ECA airplane, registration N5174X, was substantially damaged when it struck mountainous terrain near San Jose, California. The aircraft was operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal travel. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The commercial pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were killed. The cross-country flight departed Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI) at approximately 0945 with an intended destination of Wilton, California.
According to family members, the pilot and passenger had flown to Watsonville that morning in separate airplanes to drop off the passenger's aircraft for maintenance. They planned to return to Wilton in the accident airplane.
After the pilot did not arrive at his destination, family members contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the evening of April 18. The FAA issued an Alert Notification at 2145. The Santa Clara County Sheriff began search and rescue operations along the intended flight path. Wreckage was located by aerial units on the morning of April 19, 2009, in mountainous terrain near the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton. No witnesses to the accident sequence were identified.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 53, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multi-engine land, single-engine sea, and instrument airplane. He also held a flight instructor certificate with airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane ratings. A second-class medical certificate was issued on June 23, 2008, with the limitation "must wear corrective lenses." The pilot reported 3,500 total flight hours on his most recent medical application. His logbook indicated 3,443.8 hours as of the last entry on December 25, 2008.
The pilot-rated passenger, aged 49, held a private pilot license with an airplane single-engine land rating. A third-class medical certificate was issued on November 28, 2007, with no restrictions. He reported 900 total flight hours on his medical application.
Aircraft Information
The Champion 7ECA was a two-seat, high-wing, fixed-gear airplane, serial number 681, manufactured in 1969. It was powered by a Lycoming O-235-C1 engine rated at 115 horsepower, driving a two-bladed metal fixed-pitch propeller. Aircraft logbooks were not located during the investigation.
Meteorological Information
Data from the automated weather station at San Jose International Airport (SJC), located 15 miles west of the accident site at an elevation of 62 feet, recorded at 1053: wind calm, visibility 10 statute miles, clear sky, temperature 18°C, dew point 10°C, altimeter 30.15 inches of mercury. Weather data from Lick Observatory indicated a high temperature of 65°F with clear skies on the accident day.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest in a near-vertical attitude within brush and scrub oak trees on an approximate 40-degree incline at an elevation of about 3,467 feet mean sea level. Wreckage debris was confined within five feet of the main wreckage. No damage to surrounding trees or brush was noted. Rising terrain surrounded the accident site.
Both wings remained attached, with leading edge crushing along their entire span. Ailerons were attached. The forward fuselage was crushed upward, aft, and heavily damaged. The fuselage structure and floorboard were crushed aft and buckled. The instrument panel was impact-damaged. The engine was displaced aft and found under the instrument panel. The propeller separated from the crankshaft and was under the engine. The empennage, vertical stabilizer, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and elevator were intact and undamaged. A strong aroma of automotive fuel was present, and liquid dripped from the left wing fuel cap. Both fuel caps were secure.
Flight control continuity was established from cockpit controls to all primary surfaces. Rudder and elevator cables were separated from the control column and rudder pedals, with broom straw signatures consistent with overload. Aileron cables remained connected to a separated portion of the aft control column, which showed an overload fracture. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction was found.
Examination of the Lycoming O-235-C1 engine revealed the propeller, starter ring gear, carburetor, and right magneto were displaced. The top plugs, rocker box covers, vacuum pump, and left magneto were removed. The crankshaft could be manually rotated, compression was obtained on all cylinders, and continuity was established. Both magnetos produced spark. The left magneto impulse coupling engaged. The two-bladed propeller had moderate leading edge damage and chordwise striations on one blade; the opposite blade was bent aft slightly. No preimpact mechanical malfunction was identified.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Santa Clara County Coroner conducted autopsies on both occupants on April 20, 2009. The cause of death for each was determined as multiple blunt force injuries. The FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute performed toxicology tests on the pilot, which were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles, and drugs. Toxicology tests on the passenger were positive for an unspecified level of cetirizine in urine and unspecified levels of naproxen in urine and blood.
Tests and Research
A handheld Garmin GPSMAP 496 was recovered from the wreckage. Data extraction revealed the flight track from the accident day. After departure from runway 20 at WVI, the airplane made a climbing left turn, then established a north-northeasterly heading consistent with a direct course toward Wilton, climbing to about 3,000 feet. It continued on that heading for 12 minutes with ground speeds between 82 and 102 mph. The airplane then turned right toward Mount Hamilton and began climbing from 2,948 feet at 93 mph through a canyon. Over the next two minutes, it climbed to 3,440 feet at 70 mph, initiating a left turn to a northerly heading toward rising terrain. Thirteen seconds later, data showed the airplane at 3,571 feet and 58 mph on a heading of 313 degrees true. The last recorded track, three seconds later, was about 263 feet southeast of the accident site at 3,586 feet, with no ground speed or heading information.