History of Flight
On December 24, 2014, about 1225 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172, N8518B, impacted an access road in hilly terrain about 2 miles north of Westover Field Amador County Airport (JAQ) in Jackson, California. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for most of the flight, but IFR conditions existed at the destination at the time of the accident. No flight plan was filed. The flight departed from San Martin, California, at an undetermined time and was destined for JAQ.
Witnesses near the accident site reported hearing a low-flying airplane with an engine that seemed to be struggling or not producing power. They then heard a loud boom. One witness located the wreckage and called 911. Another witness heard a low-flying airplane circling, with an engine cutting out, and saw it descend below a cloud layer heading eastbound. Local law enforcement reported heavy fog and light rain at the accident site, with visibility about 100 to 200 ft; no fire was present.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 52, held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating issued on February 23, 2010. He was issued a third-class medical certificate on September 26, 2014, with the limitation that he must have available glasses for near vision. At his last medical, the pilot reported 900 hours total flight time with 20 hours in the previous 6 months. According to his logbook, he completed a flight review on May 10, 2013.
Aircraft Information
The four-seat, high-wing, fixed-gear Cessna 172, N8518B, serial number 36218, was manufactured in 1958. It was powered by a Continental Motors O-300-A 145-horsepower engine and equipped with a McCauley two-bladed metal propeller. Maintenance logbook records showed an annual inspection completed on June 12, 2014, at a tachometer reading of 168.4 hours, airframe total time of 3,929.3 hours, and engine total time of 2,999.3 hours with 1,591.3 hours since major overhaul. The tachometer and Hobbs meter were damaged and could not provide current readings.
Meteorological Information
AIRMETs Sierra, Tango, and Zulu were issued at 0645 for the accident time and site, forecasting IFR conditions with ceilings below 1,000 ft agl and visibility below 3 miles in precipitation and mist, mountains obscured, moderate turbulence below FL180, and moderate icing between the freezing level and FL200. No record indicated the pilot received an official weather briefing.
At the accident time (1224 to 1240), JAQ reported wind from 340° at 6 to 9 knots, visibility 1/4 mile, overcast ceiling at 100 ft agl, temperature 10°C, dew point 9°C, altimeter 30.01 to 29.99 inHg. These conditions were LIFR (ceiling below 500 ft and/or visibility less than 1 mile). LIFR existed as early as 1200, with IFR conditions present by 1110. Conditions improved above IFR by 1400. No SIGMETs or advisories were valid. The FAA carburetor icing chart indicated conditions conducive to moderate icing at cruise power or serious icing at glide power.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane was found about 2 miles from the destination at elevation 1,590 ft msl. It impacted near the top of a hill on a dirt access road, coming to rest upright in a nose-down, right-wing low attitude on a magnetic heading of 180°. A large crater was identified with imprints of landing gear, belly, and right wing. Debris from left and right main landing gear and right wing were at the initial impact point. The empennage and tail sections were folded forward and to the right.
Flight control continuity was established from cockpit to all control surfaces, which remained attached. Both fuel tanks had ruptured; no fuel was found onboard, but fuel smell was present. The propeller and engine were pushed aft into the cockpit. Wings exhibited leading-to-trailing edge crush damage. The left wing impacted uphill. The emergency locator transmitter was in the armed position but did not activate.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Amador County Coroner conducted an autopsy and reported the cause of death as multiple traumatic injuries. FAA forensic toxicology detected no carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles, or drugs of abuse.
Test and Research
Engine examination revealed impact damage: accessory housing partially separated, cylinders displaced, crankshaft could not be rotated, but no preaccident anomalies were visible. Valve train components were in place except two intake pushrods. Spark plugs showed some damage and normal patterns on others. Propeller remained attached; blades had chordwise scratching, leading/trailing edge nicks, and one blade twisted toward low pitch and S-bent. Starter and generator separated, carburetor fractured, magnetos separated but produced spark (left magneto at all posts, right magneto at two).
Radar data from FAA Northern California TRACON indicated the accident airplane had no ATC services and was not under radar contact. A radar target squawking 1200 near the accident area was identified at 1215 traveling northeast at 4,900 ft, ascending to 5,200 ft, then turning westbound and descending until 1227.