History of Flight
On January 6, 2011, about 1845 Pacific standard time, a Beech S35, registration N5866S, impacted the frozen shoreline of a lake adjacent to Rogers Field Airport (O05) in Chester, California. The pilot/owner operated the airplane under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a cross-country personal flight. The flight departed Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa, California, about 1745. Visual night meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The certificated private pilot and passenger were killed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the entire fuselage forward of the tailcone.
A witness, a neighbor of the pilot, was at his residence about 4,500 feet northeast of the departure end of runway 34. He heard a faint radio call from the pilot on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) reporting inbound. Later, he heard the pilot report overflying the airport to enter right base for runway 34, followed by a transmission: "Thanks Vic for turning the lights on!" The witness then opened his kitchen door and walked onto a north-facing deck. He heard engine sound moving left to right but could not see the airplane due to 70-foot-tall pine trees. The sound passed to the south, then he went inside and heard no more transmissions. About 5 minutes later, he heard radio transmissions of emergency personnel responding to an airplane accident.
A second witness was walking her dogs along First Avenue, east of runway 34. She heard an airplane to the southwest and observed lights flying northbound over the airport with a normal engine sound. A short time later, she heard an airplane to the north with a loud engine sound described as "full-bore, pinning it." She saw red, green, and white lights flying from left to right in a gradual descent behind trees toward the lake, followed by a thud and the noise of cracking ice.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar data revealed a target with beacon code 6313 about 12 miles northeast of Sonoma County Airport at an altitude of 4,900 feet, meandering northeast while climbing to 11,100 feet over 45 minutes. The final radar return was at 11,000 feet about 18 miles southwest of the accident location. The highest obstacle along the route was Spring Valley Mountain at 6,859 feet.
Personnel Information
The 76-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and no instrument rating. He held a third-class medical certificate issued April 21, 2009, with a limitation for corrective lenses. A damaged pair of spectacles was found in the cabin. An examination of his logbook indicated an estimated total flight time of about 2,700 hours as of February 19, 2010, with about 600 hours at night. Loose pages indicated 23 undocumented flights between the last logbook entry and December 1, 2010. From June 2001 to the accident, he flew about 467 hours, mostly in the accident airplane while based at Chester. In the 90 days before the accident, he performed two night takeoffs and landings; from September 22 to November 6, 2010, he performed eight night takeoffs and landings, all at Chester Airport.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 1965 low-wing, retractable-gear Beech S35, powered by a six-cylinder fuel-injected Teledyne Continental Motors IO-520-BA (3) engine and equipped with a three-blade Hartzell constant-speed propeller. The last annual inspection was on December 6, 2010, at 3,217 total airframe hours, 5 hours before the accident. The engine had accumulated 477 hours since its last major overhaul in February 2000. The airplane was equipped with attitude, direction, and navigation instruments for flight in instrument meteorological conditions, and an original factory autopilot. It was not equipped with a supplemental oxygen system.
Meteorological Information
A remote automated weather station at Westwood, California, about 10 miles east of the accident site, issued an observation about 2 minutes after the accident reporting calm winds, temperature -2°C, dew point -6°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.25 inches of mercury. Local fire and law enforcement officers reported calm winds, clear skies, and unlimited visibility upon arrival; they did not observe the moon. Computed sunset in Chester was at 1654, civil twilight ended at 1724. The moon was waxing crescent with 6% illumination; moonset occurred at 1936.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site elevation was 4,500 feet mean sea level, about 3,500 feet northeast of the approach end of runway 34 at Chester Airport, on the frozen shallows of the western shore of Lake Almanor. The airport elevation was 4,528 feet. The debris field spanned about 900 feet on a bearing of 160 degrees magnetic, parallel to runway 34. The first identified impact point was a 12-inch-deep, 7-foot-long teardrop-shaped snow excavation oriented at 150 degrees. A second swath was 15 feet beyond, expanding to 20 feet wide and exposing mud. A separated propeller blade was located within the initial scar, bent aft in an s-shape with chordwise abrasions and leading edge gouges. The remaining two blades and hub, along with the right wing tip, were 40 feet beyond. The blades were firmly attached to the hub with trailing edge wrinkling. The propeller flange had separated from the crankshaft, which exhibited torsional granular features on a 45-degree conical plane. The debris field contained fragmented right wing sections, left wing separated at the root with upward curling, and various components. The main fuselage came to rest 700 feet from initial impact on a heading of about 020 degrees, with the cabin crushed forward of the aft seats; the airspeed indicator showed 182 knots. The tailcone and empennage were largely undamaged. The engine was 200 feet beyond the fuselage. Both forward seats separated from their tracks and were found midway. The fuel selector valve/strainer assembly contained fluid consistent with aviation gasoline; water testing was negative. No pre- or post-impact fire was observed.
Medical and Pathological Information
The pilot's two most recent medical applications (2007 and 2009) indicated "No" to all medical history items, but personal medical records noted a history of "mild heart attack" in October 2005, treatment for high cholesterol since, and a diagnosis of diabetes in November 2005. No subsequent cardiology visits were noted. Autopsy reported cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. The heart weighed 500 grams with severe calcified atherosclerotic stenosis; the left anterior descending coronary artery contained stents; the circumflex artery was 80% to 90% narrowed. Toxicology tests were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, drugs, and alcohol.
Tests and Research
Engine examination revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The throttle valve was in the full open position. Rotation of the crankshaft produced smooth movement and thumb compression on all cylinders. The vacuum pump was intact. The left wing fuel tank contained about 2 gallons of fuel; no water was found. Both flaps were at zero degrees extension. The elevator tab actuator corresponded to about 5 degrees tab up. The speed brake paddles were retracted with witness marks consistent with extension during impact. The landing gear was in the retracted position. No airframe or engine anomalies were identified.
Additional Information
Fueling records from Cloverdale Municipal Airport indicated the pilot purchased 41.5 gallons of aviation gasoline at 1537 prior to departure from Santa Rosa. Fuel tests were normal. The airport manager at Cloverdale observed the airplane turn from base leg to final with a bank angle of about 60 degrees, causing concern. Another witness reported that the airplane overshot the runway centerline and landed about one-third down the runway. The manager of Chester Airport observed the pilot depart that morning with a 45-50 degree banking turn over town. Runway lights at Chester were tested and found operational. Runway 34 is designated for right traffic pattern and has no published instrument approaches.