History of Flight
On August 30, 2009, about 0927 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-22-150 (Tri-Pacer), registration N2967P, struck a mountainside approximately 1.2 miles south of Canyonville, Oregon. The airplane sustained substantial damage, was fragmented, and was consumed by postimpact ground fire. The pilot and passenger, co-owners of the aircraft, were killed. Neither occupant held a pilot certificate. Instrument meteorological conditions existed near the accident site, and no flight plan was filed. The personal flight originated about 0902 from George Felt Airport, a privately-owned field located about 3.1 miles west-southwest of Roseburg, Oregon.
The airport manager reported that the pilot based his airplane in a hangar and occasionally flew with passengers. At 0902, the passenger telephoned her sister, stating they were airborne and en route to Grants Pass Airport, about 49 miles south. The sister planned to meet them between 0925 and 0930. No radio communications or services were provided to the pilot. Radar data showed no southbound track from Roseburg terminating near the accident site between 0850 and 0930; aircraft below 2,500 feet mean sea level may not have been recorded.
Between 0927 and 0955, several witnesses reported an event consistent with an airplane crash. One witness, located about 1,000 feet msl and 1 mile northwest of the accident site, observed an airplane flying eastward above clouds, visible only a few seconds. The mountain top southeast of his location was obscured by clouds. He heard the engine rev up just before an impact sound. Other witnesses 1.2 miles northwest heard but did not see the airplane; some heard a sputtering engine, others heard the engine rev up or down, or silence before a boom. Hours later, when cloud base rose, a fire was observed on the mountainside.
Personnel Information
The 70-year-old pilot and his wife (passenger) held no FAA pilot or medical certificates. No logbook was provided. The passenger's sister stated the passenger did not know how to fly. The pilot had flown since high school and was familiar with the route; he performed maintenance on his airplane.
Aircraft Information
The Piper PA-22-150 was manufactured in 1955 with a standard airworthiness certificate. It was equipped with a Lycoming O-320 150-horsepower engine. No maintenance records were provided. The aircraft was registered co-owned by the pilot and passenger in June 2006.
Meteorological Information
At Roseburg Regional Airport, 23 miles northwest, the base of overcast ceiling was reported at 1,500 feet above ground level (2,029 feet msl) at 0853, and 1,700 feet (2,229 feet msl) at 0953.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane cruised into upsloping mountainous terrain at an estimated 2,400 feet msl. First evidence of impact was felled tree branches and a severed trunk about 80 feet above ground. Main wreckage lay on 20- to 30-degree upsloping terrain on the north face of a 3,300-foot msl mountain, about 900 feet below its peak. Fragmented components were scattered over a 50-foot-wide by 120-foot-long path. Coordinates: 42°54.62'N, 123°16.86'W.
The engine compartment, cockpit, instrument panel, fuselage, empennage, and wings were consumed by fire, which also burned about half an acre of forest. The engine case and carburetor were fractured; all cylinders partially attached. No evidence of preimpact catastrophic engine malfunction was found. Instrument settings were not readable.
No impact damage to the horizontal stabilizer or elevator assembly. Flight control cables were intact at connections, though several were broken midspan with broomstraw-like witness marks. Fragments from all four corners of the airplane were present.
The spinner and propeller were separated and found about 50 feet upslope from the main wreckage. The spinner was crushed aft with torsional deformation. The propeller was bent into an S-shape with twisted blades; one tip missing, the other with a 1-inch gouge.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy of the pilot on September 1, 2009, determined the cause of death as severe blunt trauma and post-crash fire. Toxicology was not performed.