History of Flight
On August 21, 2011, at 1212 Pacific daylight time, a Maule M-7-235C, registration N199BF, descended into terrain while maneuvering about 1 mile south of Brookings Airport (BOK) in Brookings, Oregon. The pilot, who owned the airplane, was flying under Part 91 for personal reasons. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot had purchased the airplane in Portland, Oregon, and was flying it to his home in Louisiana. It is unclear where he departed that morning, but at 1200 he contacted Seattle flight watch for weather information along his route to Monterey Regional Airport in California.
Witnesses reported seeing the airplane circling in fog before hearing sounds of trees breaking. One witness, located in a church parking lot about 2 miles south of the airport, heard the airplane approaching from the south. The engine sound decreased, then the float-equipped airplane descended from the base of clouds, estimated at about 170 feet above the surface. The engine sound then increased, the nose rose, and the airplane banked right, striking a tree about 100 yards northwest of the witness. The airplane cartwheeled and crashed after hitting another tree. Another witness, walking his dog on a utility road, saw the airplane overhead and heard a constant, loud engine. He observed a left descending turn, then heard two thuds. The airplane was later found nose down in heavily wooded, steep terrain near a residence.
Pilot Information
The 63-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for single-engine and multiengine land, single-engine sea, rotorcraft-helicopter, and instrument airplane. He held a second-class medical certificate issued September 17, 2009, with the limitation that he must have glasses for near vision. On his most recent FAA medical application, he reported 3,000 total flight hours, with 150 in the past 6 months.
Aircraft Information
The four-seat, high-wing, fixed-gear airplane was manufactured in 1999, serial number 25032C. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-540-W1A5 235-hp engine. The logbooks showed an annual inspection on January 4, 2011, at a tachometer reading of 803.1 hours. The last maintenance was on August 5, 2011, at 850.6 hours.
Meteorological Information
At 1132, weather at BOK was reported as wind 230 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 1/4 mile in fog, overcast ceiling at 200 feet, temperature 13°C. At 1156, visibility was less than 1/4 mile, fog, overcast 200 feet. At 1229, visibility was 1/2 mile in fog, overcast 200 feet. A pilot about 66 miles south reported overcast skies at 900 feet. AIRMET Sierra for IFR conditions was active for the region, covering ceilings below 1,000 feet and visibilities below 3 statute miles. The area forecast for Oregon and northern California predicted scattered clouds at 2,000 feet and broken to overcast ceilings at 1,000 feet with visibility 3-5 miles. The Brookings Police Department reported heavy fog at the accident site with a fog base estimated at 300-500 feet.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was in a resident's backyard in heavily forested terrain, with the airplane coming to rest in a ravine in a nose-down attitude, empennage elevated. Both wings and the horizontal stabilizers remained attached. The engine and propeller assembly remained attached. In the cockpit, the throttle and propeller controls showed some extension, and the mixture control was full forward.
Medical and Pathological Information
The pilot was critically injured and transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries several days later. No autopsy or toxicology were performed.
Tests and Research
Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Flight control continuity was established from the cockpit to the control surfaces. The engine showed no holes in the crankcase, and mechanical continuity was confirmed. Two Garmin GPS units (GPSMAP 696 and GPSMAP 396) and an iPad were sent to the NTSB laboratory. The GPSMAP 696 had its record mode set to off, so no track log was available. The GPSMAP 396 recorded 71 track logs, including a full track on the accident date. The GPS data showed the flight from Gold Beach, Oregon, along the coast, then turning inland toward Brookings. The track indicated a left descending turn near the departure end of the runway, then a forward track toward the accident site.