Accident Summary
On July 18, 2011, at 0846 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-12, registration N7510H, collided with mountainous terrain near Joshua Tree, California. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was seriously injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. Van Wagner Aerial Media LLC of Hollywood, Florida, operated the flight under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country repositioning flight.
Flight History
The flight departed from Lake Havasu City, Arizona, about 1 hour 30 minutes before the accident, destined for Compton, California. No flight plan was filed. The airplane had been conducting banner towing operations at Lake Havasu. The pilot reported clear weather along the planned route but could not recall events before impact. He remembered the airplane striking the ground, nosing over, and catching fire, with the engine generating power at impact. Despite a broken right leg, he released his restraints and escaped by kicking out the left side window.
Wreckage Examination
NTSB and FAA personnel examined the wreckage at an elevation of about 4,600 feet near a ridgeline at the head of a box canyon in Joshua Tree National Forest. The airplane was inverted on a 20-degree slope, about 50 feet upslope from a 60-degree slope. Fire consumed the engine cowling, fabric fuselage skin, cabin area, and inboard portions of both wings. Control continuity was confirmed from all surfaces to the cockpit. The left wingtip, right wingtip, and right wing leading edge showed crush damage. The rudder and vertical stabilizer had vertical crush damage. One propeller blade was twisted and bent near the tip with trailing edge buckling; the other was twisted and bent aft at midspan. No evidence of preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction was noted.
GPS Data
A Garmin GPSMAP 96 handheld GPS was recovered. Data showed departure from Lake Havasu City at about 0715, a southwest route over mountainous desert terrain (elevations 500–5,500 feet). Calculated heights above ground level (agl) included: 0730: 83 ft agl; 0742: 106 ft; 0754: 137 ft; 0809: 650 ft; 0824: 549 ft; 0833: 1,042 ft; 0839: 573 ft; 0845: 103 ft agl. The last recorded position was about 1 nautical mile northeast of the accident site at 4,016 feet mean sea level (103 ft agl).
Weather
At 0856, weather at Twentynine Palms, California (16 nautical miles northeast) reported: wind 360° at 4 knots, visibility 7 miles, few clouds at 8,000 feet, temperature 28°C, dew point 1°C, altimeter 29.98 inHg. The calculated density altitude at the accident site was about 7,300 feet.