History of Flight
On April 21, 2015, about 1700 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, registration N1729J, collided with terrain near the peak of Mount Tom, Oregon. The unlicensed pilot sustained fatal injuries and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to Sover Lince Society of Organic Agriculture and operated as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from Hobby Field Airport, Creswell, Oregon, at 1649, and was destined for Pearson Field, Vancouver, Washington.
A concerned family member reported the pilot overdue on the evening of April 21. The wreckage was located on the afternoon of April 24 near the peak of Mount Tom (elevation 3,143 ft), at an elevation of 3,100 feet, by a National Guard helicopter. Radar first identified the airplane at 1649 north of Creswell on a northerly heading; the airplane was not reporting altitude information (transponder Mode C). About 1700:17, the radar track made an abrupt left turn to a southwest direction, followed by a loss of radar contact at 1700:36. Radar data indicated that the lowest altitude at which primary return could be received along the flight path was 5,250 feet mean sea level (msl); in the vicinity of the accident, the lowest altitude was 6,300 feet msl. The final radar return measured horizontally about half a mile from the impact location.
Personnel Information
The pilot, age 41, did not hold a pilot certificate or medical certificate. Two pilot logbooks recovered at the scene indicated that the pilot received flight training through solo in 1994. The pilot logged 224.9 hours in a Cessna 150 between 2002 and 2003, with no instructional flights recorded during that period. No flights were recorded between 2003 and 2014. Between January 9 and January 20, 2015, six flights in the accident airplane were recorded, totaling 7.8 hours. Combining the two logbooks, the pilot's total flight time was 288.1 hours.
Aircraft Information
The four-seat, low-wing, fixed-gear airplane, serial number 28-24142, was manufactured in 1968. It was powered by a Lycoming O-320-E2A 140-hp engine and equipped with a Sensenich fixed-pitch propeller. The airplane was purchased by the registered owner in January 2015. Maintenance logbooks were not located, but maintenance invoices and documents were provided by a fixed-base operator at Pierce County Airport, Washington, where the previous owner had maintained the airplane. Total airframe time was estimated at 3,622 hours at the time of the accident. Total engine time was 3,622 hours since new and 137 hours since top overhaul. The most recent annual inspection was completed on October 9, 2014.
Meteorological Information
The Automated Surface Observing Station (ASOS) at Mahlon Sweet Field Airport (EUG) in Eugene, Oregon, located about 11 miles southwest of the accident site at 374 feet elevation, reported at 1654: wind from 340° at 13 knots, visibility 10 statute miles or greater, ceiling broken at 3,900 feet above ground level (agl), overcast cloud base at 5,000 feet agl, temperature 16°C, dew point 8°C, altimeter setting 30.00 inches of mercury. Remarks included station with a precipitation discriminator.
An unofficial meteorological station, BRUO3 (Bureau of Land Management), about 7 miles northeast of the accident site at 2,130 feet elevation, reported at 1714: temperature 10°C, dew point 9°C, relative humidity 93%, wind from 316° at 1.7 knots gusting to 10.4 knots.
The only publicly disseminated pilot report within two hours of the accident time was from a Beechcraft Bonanza at an unknown altitude, reporting at 1524, while 5 miles away on the 130° radial from Portland-Hillsboro Airport, overcast cloud bases at 2,700 feet above msl during descent.
An amended Area Forecast issued at 1558 forecast cloud heights above 8,000 feet msl. For the Willamette Valley, the forecast for the accident time included broken ceiling at 2,500 feet, broken cloud base at 4,000 feet, cloud tops at 8,000 feet, and occasional light rain. For the Cascades, the forecast included scattered to broken clouds at 6,500 feet with cloud tops to 9,000 feet and broken cirrus.
An Airmen's Meteorological Information (AIRMET) Sierra advisory for mountain obscuration was active for the accident location at the accident time.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was located in a densely wooded area of mature Douglas fir trees and sword ferns near the top of Mount Tom at an elevation of 3,100 feet, with wreckage distributed on a 43° sloped terrain. Numerous trees along a magnetic bearing of 338° from the wreckage had been topped, with freshly cut branches on the ground below. The debris field extended approximately 111 feet. On April 27, the wreckage was removed to a recovery yard in Dallas, Oregon.
On April 28, investigators examined the airframe and engine. All flight control surfaces were contained within the wreckage, and control continuity was established from the stabilator, rudder, and ailerons to the cockpit through multiple cable overload breaks. The left wing sustained impact damage consistent with a collision with trees; the fuselage and right wing sustained impact damage consistent with ground collision and post-impact fire. The fuselage and cabin were consumed by fire. The engine sustained a front impact on the left side, dislodging the number 2 cylinder off its mounting pad and aft, with tree material embedded in the cooling fins. The crankshaft propeller flange was bent and displaced aft into the engine case. The propeller was not present on the flange. The magnetos were impact and fire damaged. The fuel pump was dislodged and fire-damaged. The carburetor float bowl was displaced. The engine mixture and throttle control cables remained attached to the carburetor.
The propeller had separated from the flange and was located about 10 yards from the main wreckage. The spinner was crushed and plastically deformed into the propeller hub. One blade exhibited very little damage, and the other was deformed forward in a bow-like shape from shank to tip.
The attitude and directional instrument gyros were disassembled and examined. Both gyros exhibited scuff and score marks on the interior of the housing, and both rotors had evidence of rotational scuffing/scoring on the exterior.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Oregon State Medical Examiner on May 7, 2015. The cause of death was listed as multiple blunt force trauma. FAA Bioaeronautical Research Laboratory toxicology testing detected amphetamine and donepezil in muscle and liver; quetiapine in liver; tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in liver (42.4 ng/mL), lung (692.1 ng/mL), and brain (22.9 ng/mL); and its inactive metabolite tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (THC-COOH) in liver (539.6 ng/mL), lung (85.1 ng/mL), and brain (18.6 ng/mL). Amphetamine is a stimulant on Schedule II used to treat attention deficit disorder, narcolepsy, and obesity. Donepezil is prescribed for cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and memory loss following traumatic brain injuries and carries warnings about bradycardia and increased risk of generalized convulsions. Quetiapine is prescribed for schizophrenia and bipolar disease.