History of Flight
On November 23, 2011, about 1831 mountain standard time, a Rockwell International (Aero Commander) 690A airplane, N690SM, was destroyed when it impacted terrain in the Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction, Arizona. The commercial pilot and the five passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to Ponderosa Aviation, Inc. (PAI) and operated by PAI under Part 91 as a personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane departed Falcon Field (FFZ), Mesa, Arizona, about 1825 and was destined for Safford Regional Airport (SAD), Safford, Arizona.
PAI's director of maintenance (DOM) and the director of operations (DO), co-owners of PAI, conducted a personal flight from SAD to FFZ. The DO flew the leg from SAD to FFZ under VFR in night VMC. After arriving at FFZ, the DOM moved to the left front seat to act as the pilot flying. The airplane departed FFZ about 12 minutes after arrival. According to a witness, engine start and taxi-out appeared normal.
Review of recorded communications revealed that the pilot requested an eastbound departure. The flight was cleared for takeoff on runway 4R, and the pilot was instructed to maintain runway heading. About 90 seconds later, the tower controller issued a right-turn advisory, which the pilot acknowledged. Radar data indicated that the airplane flew the runway heading for about 1.5 miles, then began a right turn and climbed through about 2,600 feet mean sea level (msl). After momentarily reaching 4,700 feet msl, the airplane descended to 4,500 feet msl and tracked in an essentially straight line until impact. The last radar return was at 1830:56, approximately coincident with the impact location near the top of a steep mountain projecting over 5,000 feet msl. Witnesses reported a fireball.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 31, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for single-engine and multiengine land and instrument airplane, and a mechanic certificate. His FAA second-class medical certificate was issued in July 2011. He was a co-owner of PAI and its DOM. Personal flight records indicated 1,151.9 hours in single-engine and 951.5 hours in multiengine airplanes; on his most recent medical application, he reported 2,500 total hours. PAI flight records (tracking Part 135 flights only) showed 116.5 total hours, including 18 in night VMC. In the preceding 90 and 30 days, he had accumulated 28.5 and 5.3 hours, respectively. He flew 2 hours in the week before the accident, including a round trip from SAD to FFZ at least twice in the prior two weeks.
Training records indicated that employee pilots received annual training over 2 to 3 days. The pilot's most recent Part 135 competency/proficiency check was satisfactorily completed on September 24, 2011. According to his wife, his 72-hour history before the accident was routine; he did not take medications except for hypothyroidism medication reported to the FAA.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy conducted at the Forensic Science Center in Tucson, Arizona, cited blunt force trauma as the cause of death. Toxicological testing by the FAA Forensic Toxicology Research Team was negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and listed drugs.
Aircraft Information
The airplane, manufactured in 1976 by Rockwell International, was equipped with two Honeywell TPE-331 turboshaft engines and two Hartzell three-blade propellers. The airframe had accumulated about 8,188 total hours; the left engine had about 545 hours since major overhaul, and the right engine about 1,482 hours. PAI purchased the airplane about one week before the accident, and it was flown from Indiana to Safford under a ferry permit because it was not in compliance with an FAA-required 150-hour inspection. The permit, issued on November 16, 2011, allowed a direct flight from Eagle Creek Airpark (EYE) to SAD with only the pilot and essential crew. The PAI president flew the airplane to SAD on November 17, terminating the permit. No maintenance activity was accomplished on the airplane between its arrival and the accident; the outstanding airworthiness items were not corrected.
Regarding the Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS), 14 CFR 91.223 required TAWS for turbine-powered U.S.-registered airplanes with six or more passenger seats manufactured before early 2002. The accident airplane was originally configured with six passenger seats. However, in May 2005, the seating configuration was changed to five by removing a seat belt from the aft divan. This change was not approved by the FAA or the manufacturer, and documentation was altered. The airplane was never equipped with TAWS.
Meteorological Information
The automated weather observation at FFZ at 1854 reported wind from 350 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 40 miles, few clouds at 20,000 feet, temperature 23°C, dew point -1°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.93 inches of Mercury. The moon, a waning crescent at 3% illumination, set at 1605; local sunset occurred at 1721.
Aids to Navigation
Neither FFZ nor SAD had VOR ground navigation facilities. The pilot used an iPad with ForeFlight software and GPS for direct navigation between the two airports, a practice he had employed previously. Remnants of an iPad were found in the wreckage, but damage precluded determination of its functionality or operational status at the time of the accident. Radar tracking data showed that the direct ground track from the point of the right turn to SAD overlaid the impact mountain.
Communications
At 1820:21, the pilot contacted FFZ ground control and was instructed to taxi to runway 4R. At 1823:35, he contacted local control, holding short until cleared for takeoff at 1825:00 with instructions to fly straight out due to landing traffic. The controller issued a right-turn advisory at 1826:47, which the pilot acknowledged. No further transmissions were recorded.
Airport Information
FFZ, elevation 1,394 feet msl, has two runways; runway 4R measures 5,101 by 100 feet. The local topography consists of a flat basin bounded by mountainous terrain to the north and east. The impact mountain, about 15 miles east-northeast, rises steeply to a charted maximum elevation of 5,057 feet msl.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was on the northwest face near the top of the Flatiron region of Superstition Mountain, at an elevation of about 4,500 feet msl. The terrain consisted of a steep sloped area (about 45 degrees) abutted by a vertical rock formation. Debris was scattered over a primary field measuring about 150 by 80 feet, with significant fire damage. The airplane was highly fragmented; some components, including cockpit items, were found beyond the vertical formation. Damage patterns were consistent with engines developing power at impact, landing gear retracted, and a wings-level attitude. No preimpact discrepancies precluding normal engine or propeller operation were identified.
Organizational and Management Information
PAI, founded in 1975, employed 25 people and owned 14 airplanes, including three Rockwell International 690 models. The company held a Part 135 operating certificate but rarely used it, averaging two revenue flights per year. The FAA Scottsdale Flight Standards District Office oversaw PAI; the principal operations inspector considered PAI a low-maintenance operator and visited about once per year.
Additional Information
A private citizen's home surveillance camera captured the airplane's lights, a flash at impact, and subsequent fire. No erratic motions were observed. Weight and balance calculations estimated the accident flight weight at 8,953 pounds, below maximum, with center of gravity within limits. Derived level-flight ground speed was about 190 knots, with a slight tailwind.