History of Flight
On June 11, 2011, at about 1601 Pacific daylight time, a Bellanca 17-31ATC, N79BF, departed from The Dalles Airport (DLS) in Dallesport, Washington, on a personal flight to Casper, Wyoming. The airplane descended rapidly from cruise flight and struck terrain in the Umatilla National Forest near Ukiah, Oregon. The owner-pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and no flight plan was filed.
The pilot kept the airplane in a hangar at DLS. According to relatives, the pilot and one passenger were neighbors; the passenger had asked to be flown to Casper to attend a rodeo. At about 0800 on the morning of the accident, the pilot called Lockheed Martin Flight Service (LMFS) for a weather briefing. Airport fueling records indicate that 39 gallons of fuel were purchased at DLS at about 1500, paid for with the passenger's credit card.
Examination of ground-based radar tracking data reveals that the first target associated with the airplane was acquired at 1502, about 8.5 miles east of DLS, at an indicated altitude of 2,000 feet. The airplane followed a curving southeast course for 28 miles, then tracked straight for 53 miles on a course of 084 degrees true, climbing to 13,500 feet. It then turned south and leveled at about 14,500 feet for 43 miles, conducted a course reversal to the left, and began a rapid descent about 2 minutes later. The last radar target was recorded at 1601, about 1,800 feet from the wreckage location. The pilot did not communicate with air traffic control during the flight.
An Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued at about midnight on June 11 by LMFS in Prescott, Arizona, in response to inquiries from a passenger's relatives. The search area was determined using radar tracking data and cell phone signals from two telephones belonging to the occupants. No emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was detected. The wreckage was located at about 1500 on June 12 by airborne search teams. The airplane was not insured, and lack of funding precluded recovery for detailed off-site examination.
Personnel Information
The investigation was unable to locate the pilot's personal flight records. FAA records show the pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating, issued in 1981. The most recent third-class medical certificate was issued in February 1999, at which time he reported 1,250 total flight hours. Neither passenger held any pilot certificate.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was manufactured in 1978 and first registered to the pilot in 1999. It was equipped with a turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540 series engine and a three-blade propeller. The low-wing monoplane had a fabric-covered steel-truss fuselage and wood- and fabric-skinned wings. Fuel capacity was 75 gallons: two 30-gallon main tanks and one 15-gallon auxiliary tank. The airplane had four seats and a supplemental oxygen system. The pilot's personal maintenance records were not located, and airworthiness records from the FAA database contained no documentation after the pilot's purchase. The pre-accident airworthiness status could not be determined.
Meteorological Information
The pilot called LMFS at about 0800 for a weather advisory for a planned VFR flight from DLS to Casper/Natrona County International Airport (CPR) via Boise and American Falls, Idaho. Departure was planned for 1400 with an estimated 3-hour en route time. The briefer provided AIRMETs for terrain obscuration and low-level moderate turbulence, noted cloud tops to 25,000 feet, and possible thunderstorms with tops to 35,000 feet. The pilot requested winds aloft only for 14,000 feet. No further weather briefing contacts were recorded.
The closest weather station to the accident site is La Grande/Union County Airport (LGD), about 12 miles north. The 1555 LGD observation reported calm wind, 10 miles visibility, overcast ceiling at 7,000 feet agl (about 9,700 msl). The 1615 observation was similar with ceiling at 6,000 feet agl (about 8,700 feet msl). Baker City Municipal Airport (BKE), about 18 miles southeast, issued a terminal area forecast at 1021 calling for visibility >6 miles, rain showers, and broken ceiling at 7,000 feet agl (about 10,400 feet msl) between 1300 and 1900. The forecast was amended at 1314 to include rain showers, thunderstorms, and broken ceiling at 4,000 feet agl (about 7,400 feet msl). The 1553 BKE observation included wind from 180° at 6 knots, 10 miles visibility in light rain, broken ceiling at 4,900 feet agl (about 8,300 feet msl), overcast at 6,000 feet (about 9,400 feet msl), and rain ending at 1521 and resuming at 1543.
AIRMETs for mountain obscuration and icing above 10,000 feet were current for the flight. The closest upper air sounding from Boise, Idaho (123 miles southeast), at 1700 indicated saturated conditions between 13,000 and 19,000 feet, freezing level at 10,422 feet, in-cloud icing, and potential for light mountain wave, strong vertical wind shear, and turbulence. Satellite data showed an overcast layer of nimbostratus to towering cumulus with tops near 28,000 feet over the accident site. Weather radar from Boise at 1602 showed very light intensity echoes (5-10 dBZ) over the site, with heavier echoes (20-40 dBZ) to the east and southeast. No lightning was detected within 25 miles between 1545 and 1610.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage lay on a steep hillside among trees up to 60 feet tall, with no evidence of impact damage to trees. The airplane was in an upright, nose-down attitude on a heading of about 150° magnetic, perpendicular to the slope. The wreckage was compact, with all major components in their relative design positions; only a few fragments (window, door, cowling) were scattered within 20 feet.
The propeller, engine, and forward fuselage were embedded in a crater 3 feet deep and 6 feet in diameter. Each wing's front spar lay in a shallow ground scar perpendicular to the fuselage; aft spars, wing skin, fuel tanks, flaps, and ailerons were on top or just aft of the front spars. The firewall, instrument panel, and steel tube cabin structure showed severe crush damage. The empennage was relatively intact. No evidence of rotation about the vertical axis at impact was observed.
No preimpact damage, malfunction, or separation of wing components was found. Flap position at impact could not be determined positively, but evidence was consistent with full retraction. Control continuity from ailerons to cockpit controls and the aileron crossover cable was confirmed. Landing gear position could not be definitively determined, but evidence was consistent with main gear retracted. The vertical fin, horizontal stabilizers, rudder, and elevators remained attached. The pitch trim tab was attached to the left elevator. No oil, soot, or unusual deposits were on empennage surfaces. Elevator and rudder control cables aft of the wing were properly routed.
Most flight and engine instruments were damaged beyond recognition. The tachometer hour meter read 2,977.40 hours. The vacuum pump was damaged consistent with impact. The fuel strainer screen was crushed but clean, with no corrosion. The fuel selector handle was fracture-separated; the valve body was captive and the setting could not be determined. The ELT battery identification placard bore an expiration date of "August 2009." A supplemental oxygen cylinder with hydrostatic stamp "3-98" was attached in the aft fuselage. An oxygen outlet panel with four quick-disconnect ports, one labeled "PILOT", was found with no fittings or fitting remnants in any port, and no damage consistent with forced separation. No oxygen masks, cannulas, fittings, or distribution lines were located.
No engine data plate was observed. One turbocharger had crush damage but no overtemperature or rotor burst indications. The oil filter and most accessories were fracture-separated. The magnetos were crushed and could not be tested. The fuel distribution block diaphragm was intact and clean, with free valve movement. The oil pump contained oil with no corrosion. Two spark plugs exhibited normal wear. Crankshaft and camshaft continuity could not be determined due to damage. All three propeller blades were bent aft near the root, with no twisting or chordwise scoring, and appeared at about the same pitch.
A damaged iPhone was recovered and sent to the NTSB recorders laboratory, but no data could be retrieved.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted by the Oregon Office of the State Medical Examiner determined the cause of death for the pilot as multiple traumatic injuries. Forensic toxicology by the FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute detected no ethanol or screened drugs.
Additional Information
The pilot's transponder was set to the 1200 VFR code in altitude-reporting mode. The flight was not actively monitored by ATC, nor was it required. After the airplane was determined missing, recorded radar data identified the flight. The first transponder return was at 1502, 8.5 miles east of DLS, at about 2,000 feet. The airplane flew a curving southeast course for 28 miles (12 minutes), then straight for 53 miles (23 minutes) on 084° true, climbing to 13,500 feet. It then turned south, climbed to and leveled at 14,500 feet for 20 minutes and 43 miles, then conducted a left course reversal. The last return at 14,000 feet was at 1558:59. Twelve additional returns at 4-second intervals showed varying altitudes (12,100 to 9,900 feet) indicating a rapid descent; two returns had no altitude data, consistent with rapid maneuvering or unusual attitude. The last radar target was at about 1601, about 1,800 feet from the ground impact. Total flight duration was about 1 hour.