History of Flight
On August 5, 2009, at 0431 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 182S, registration N23750, impacted hilly terrain shortly after departing from Napa County Airport, Napa, California. Sierra Madre Corp. operated the airplane under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was killed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The cross-country personal flight originated from Napa with a planned stop in Bakersfield, California, and final destination of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed and a clearance issued, but the flight plan was never activated.
According to the pilot's spouse, the pilot had flown this route about five times before and planned an early departure to avoid weather. The pilot called the spouse at 0315 reporting good weather, and again at 0400 stating he was at the hangar preparing to depart. The previous day, the pilot contacted the Prescott Automated Flight Service Station (FSS) to file two IFR flight plans, for Napa to Bakersfield and Bakersfield to Santa Fe, with a planned departure time of 0430 and a cruising altitude of 7,500 feet. The pilot noted there would probably be "that morning fog IFR getting out of Napa." On the accident morning at 0408, the pilot called flight service to open his flight plan and received an IFR clearance. A contracting crew about 1 mile south of the airport reported that around 0430 an airplane passed overhead at very low altitude in fog, and shortly after they saw a fire plume.
Radar data from Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center showed the airplane making a shallow left bank after departure from runway 18R, gradually climbing to about 1,000 feet mean sea level (msl) before the last return at 900 feet msl, located about 0.5 miles north of the accident site. The LIZRD 3 departure procedure required climbing on a 180-degree heading to intercept the Scaggs Island VORTAC radial-127, then following to LIZRD intersection at or above 3,000 feet. The accident occurred during darkness; civil twilight began at 0546, sunrise at 0615. The moon was 100% illuminated and 12.9 degrees above the horizon.
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 67, held a commercial pilot certificate with single- and multi-engine land ratings and an instrument rating obtained in April 2001. His most recent third-class medical was issued July 22, 2008, with a requirement to wear corrective lenses. Personal flight records partially burned; entries from January 31 to August 2, 2009, showed six flights originating and terminating at Napa in the accident airplane. Total times recorded included 28.5 hours night, 28.5 hours actual instrument, 162.1 hours simulated instrument, and 1,080.3 hours total time. The pilot's flight instructor described him as a "brilliant" aviator who often flew solely by instruments and had discussed IMC departures from uncontrolled airports with him days before the accident.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 182S, serial number 18280452, was manufactured in 1999. The most recent annual inspection was recorded July 7, 2008, at a total time of 1,073.8 hours. A typed letter from the pilot to the mechanic, dated August 2, 2009, stated he had not flown because he would have had to depart IFR with an airplane that had just undergone an annual inspection. The mechanic indicated he had not performed the inspection; he had looked over the airplane and said it was "good to go." Emails between the pilot and mechanic discussed the inspection; the mechanic reported being finished on July 29, 2009.
Meteorological Information
An Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) at Napa reported at 0354 a broken cloud layer at 600 feet agl with 10 miles visibility, temperature 55°F, dew point 54°F. At 0454, conditions were similar. Archived data between 0420 and 0435 showed overcast at 600 feet agl with 10 miles visibility, temperature and dew point both 55°F. At 0310, the pilot obtained a weather briefing stating conditions in Napa were clear below 1,200 feet with a temperature dewpoint spread of 1°F.
Wreckage and Impact
The accident site was about 3.25 nautical miles southeast of the departure end of runway 18R, at 38°11.429'N latitude, 122°14.133'W longitude, elevation 475 feet msl. First identified points of contact were cut brush and disrupted dirt in a ravine at 425 feet msl. The debris path continued on a magnetic heading of 165 degrees to the main wreckage, which rested at the perimeter of a vineyard and had severe thermal damage. The cabin was completely consumed by fire. The inboard right wing was on the left side of the fuselage; the empennage was thermally destroyed up to the aft baggage area. Control continuity was established from empennage surfaces to cables in the thermally destroyed area but not to cockpit controls. The flap position was up.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by The Forensic Medical Group, Inc., listed cause of death as "blunt force injury" and noted absence of soot in the tracheo-bronchial tree. Toxicological screening by the FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute was negative for carbon monoxide and tested drugs, but detected acetone (7 mg/dL in liver), ethanol (19 mg/dL in liver), and isopropanol (10 mg/dL in liver), with evidence of putrefaction.
Tests and Research
Examination of the engine and airframe found no evidence of catastrophic or mechanical malfunction. The engine produced spark on all cylinders, and internal components showed normal operational signatures. The propeller blades exhibited damage consistent with impact. The directional indicator had the heading bug set at 127 degrees. The vacuum system was damaged; the shear drive shafts were intact but carbon rotor and vanes were shattered, consistent with impact.