On December 20, 2010, an AERO COMMANDER 680FL (registration N316KW) operated by PETRIKAS CHRISTOPHER J was involved in an aviation accident near Perris, CA. One person was killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s decision to continue visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an in-flight collision with mountainous terrain. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
On December 20, 2010, an Aero Commander 680FL, N316KW, collided with mountainous terrain 6.5 miles north of Perris, California. The pilot was killed, and the aircraft was substantially damaged.
Accident Overview and Flight History On December 20, 2010, at approximately 1000 Pacific standard time, an Aero Commander 680FL, registration N316KW, collided with mountainous terrain 6.5 miles north of Perris, California. The aircraft was operated by its owner under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 91. The airline transport pilot was killed, and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Palm Springs International Airport at approximately 0940. The aircraft was based at Chino Airport, California. On December 19, 2010, the pilot and family members flew the aircraft from Texas, intending to arrive at Chino Airport that evening. Due to unfavorable weather, the pilot landed at Palm Springs at 1919 and drove to his residence in Riverside. The following morning, he returned to Palm Springs to continue the flight to Chino. The aircraft was fueled with 45 gallons of avgas. FAA records indicated the pilot did not receive a weather briefing from a Flight Service Station or file a flight plan. A Garmin GPSMAP 496 portable GPS receiver was recovered from the wreckage. The GPS data log showed the aircraft departed Palm Springs at 0928, heading west along the I-10 corridor toward Banning Pass and into the Moreno Valley. The aircraft climbed to 2,500 feet mean sea level (msl) and maintained altitudes between 2,500 and 3,400 feet msl for most of the flight. At 0957, 6.5 miles west of Beaumont, California, at 2,700 feet, the GPS track turned southwest away from concentrated precipitation and directly toward Mount Russell (2,697 feet msl). Mount Russell rises approximately 1,000 feet above the Moreno Valley floor. At 0953, the pilot contacted March Air Reserve Base arrival controller, reported his position as 4 miles west of Banning Airport, and requested advisories through Class C airspace to Chino. At 0956, the pilot reported being 7 miles east of March ARB. At 0958, the GPS track showed the aircraft came within 50 feet of rising terrain. At 0959, the pilot stated he was having difficulty maintaining visual flight rules (VFR) and requested an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance. No further communications were recorded. The final GPS position was recorded at 1000, 2,600 feet msl, 0.4 miles east of the crash site. The terrain elevation near the crash site was 2,500 feet. ## Personnel and Aircraft Information The pilot, age 65, held an Airline Transport Pilot certificate for airplane multiengine land, a commercial pilot certificate for airplane single engine land and sea, with type ratings in the Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777, DC-9, DC-10, and L-188 airplanes. He also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single engine, multiengine, and instrument, and an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic certificate. A second-class airman medical certificate was issued on August 31, 2010, with a limitation to wear corrective lenses. His most recent medical application reported 33,000 hours of flight time. His logbook showed 11 hours in the last 30 days, including 3 hours in the accident aircraft. He completed a flight review and instrument proficiency check on November 28, 2010. The accident aircraft was a high-wing, retractable landing gear, twin-engine airplane, serial number 1753146, manufactured in 1968. It was powered by two Lycoming IGSO-540-B1C, 380-hp engines, and equipped with two Hartzell HC-3BZ30-2A constant speed propellers. An annual inspection was performed on April 2, 2010, at an aircraft total time of 2,240 hours. Operating hours since major overhaul (SMOH) were 275.5 hours on both engines. The most recent maintenance was oil changes on both engines on December 16, 2010, at a total aircraft time of 2,260.8 hours. The Hobbs meter read 247.2 at the accident scene, corresponding to a total aircraft time of 2,278.2 hours. ## Meteorological and Wreckage Information The meteorological observation for Palm Springs at 0953 reported calm winds, 10 miles visibility, scattered clouds at 2,500 feet above ground level (agl), a broken layer at 5,000 feet agl, and an overcast layer at 6,000 feet agl. No meteorological observations were recorded for Chino Airport on the day of the accident. Corona Municipal Airport, located 5 miles south of Chino, recorded 10-mile visibility, broken clouds at 6,000 feet agl, and overcast at 7,000 feet agl at 0856. At 0956, conditions deteriorated to 5 miles visibility, rain and mist, few clouds at 100 feet agl, and overcast at 3,700 feet agl. March Reserve Air Base, elevation 1,536 feet msl, located 4 miles west of the accident site, reported 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 800 feet agl, a broken cloud layer at 2,200 feet agl, and overcast at 7,000 feet agl at 0916, with a variable ceiling between 1,900 and 2,500 feet agl. At 0955, March ARB reported winds from 140 degrees at 11 knots, 10 miles visibility, light drizzle, few clouds at 900 feet agl, overcast at 1,500 feet agl, and a ceiling variable between 1,200 and 1,800 feet agl. NEXRAD weather radar images from 0951 to 0959 showed concentrated precipitation at the 3,027-foot msl level in the area surrounding the accident site. The Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) defines Marginal VFR (MVFR) as a ceiling between 1,000 and 3,000 feet and/or visibility between 3 and 5 miles inclusive. The wreckage was located by California Department of Parks and Recreation Rangers on December 20, 2010, in the late afternoon. The wreckage was distributed on the crest of a 2,500-foot peak. The terrain consisted of a moderate slope to the west with large rock outcroppings and boulders, and sparse brush vegetation. The initial point of impact was on the northeast side of the peak, with wreckage distributed along a bearing of 250 degrees magnetic for 500 feet. The initial point of impact was identified by left wing tip debris and red glass position light lens fragments. The empennage and tail section separated from the main cabin, and the entire wing span, minus the outboard section of the left wing, separated from the fuselage. The left wing outboard section was located 140 feet north of the initial point of impact. The cockpit area was about 20 yards downhill from the wing, in an inverted orientation, and exposed to the environment. On January 28, 2011, a wreckage examination was conducted by the Safety Board investigator-in-charge, assisted by representatives from Textron Lycoming, Twin Commander Aircraft LLC, and the FAA. Examination of the airframe, engines, and propellers did not reveal any anomalies that would have prevented normal operation of the aircraft controls, engines, propellers, or cockpit instrumentation. ## Medical and Pathological Information An autopsy was performed on the pilot on December 21, 2010, by the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner. The cause of death was listed as multiple blunt force traumatic injuries. Forensic toxicology was performed by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team CAMI, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The toxicology report stated no carbon monoxide was detected in blood, no cyanide was detected in blood, no ethanol was detected in urine, and ibuprofen was detected in urine. ## Additional Information Advisory Circular AC61-134 addresses controlled flight into terrain awareness. The following section from AC61-134 applies to circumstances surrounding this accident: “VFR-ONLY PILOTS OPERATING IN MARGINAL VFR/IMC CONDITIONS. Operating in marginal VFR/IMC conditions is more commonly known as scud running. According to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FAA data, one of the leading causes of GA accidents is continued VFR flight into IMC. As defined in 14 CFR Part 91, ceiling, cloud, or visibility conditions less than that specified for VFR or Special VFR is IMC and IFR applies. However, some pilots, including some with instrument ratings, continue to fly VFR in conditions less than that specified for VFR. The result is often a CFIT accident when the pilot tries to continue flying or maneuvering beneath a lowering ceiling and hits an obstacle or terrain or impacts water. The accident may or may not be a result of a loss of control before the aircraft impacts the obstacle or surface. The importance of complete weather information, understanding the significance of the weather information, and being able to correlate the pilot's skills and training, aircraft capabilities, and operating environment with an accurate forecast cannot be emphasized enough.”