What happened
On December 20, 2010, an Aero Commander 680FL, registration N316KW, crashed into mountainous terrain approximately 6.5 miles north of Perris, California. The flight originated from Palm Springs International Airport at approximately 0940 Pacific standard time, with the intention of landing at Chino Airport.
Prior to the accident, the pilot had flown the aircraft from Texas the previous day but remained in Palm Springs overnight due to poor weather. On the morning of the accident, the pilot fueled the aircraft and departed without filing a flight plan or receiving a weather briefing from a Flight Service Station.
Data from a recovered GPS receiver showed the aircraft flying along the I-10 corridor, maintaining altitudes between 2,500 and 3,400 feet mean sea level (msl). At 0957, the GPS track indicated the aircraft turned southwest, moving away from a patch of precipitation and toward Mount Russell, a peak rising 2,697 feet msl.
At 0953, the pilot contacted March Air Reserve Base arrival controller to request traffic advisories. By 0959, the pilot reported having difficulty maintaining visual flight rules (VFR) and requested an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance. GPS data showed the aircraft came within 50 feet of rising terrain at that time. The final GPS position was recorded at 1000, 2,600 feet msl, near the crash site. The pilot sustained 1 fatal injury.
The investigation
Investigators recovered the wreckage from the crest of a 2,500-foot peak. The impact caused the empennage and tail section to separate from the main cabin, and the wings also separated from the fuselage. The cockpit area was found in an inverted orientation.
A mechanical examination of the airframe, engines, and propellers by the NTSB, along with representatives from Textron Lycoming and Twin Commander Aircraft LLC, found no anomalies that would have prevented the normal operation of the aircraft's controls, engines, or instrumentation.
Weather radar images from the time of the accident showed concentrated precipitation at the 3,027-foot msl level near the accident site. Nearby weather observations indicated a ceiling between 1,200 and 1,800 feet agl with light drizzle.