History of Flight
On September 3, 2015, about 0917 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161 airplane, registration N8441B, impacted a residential area in Santee, California, shortly after takeoff from Gillespie Field Airport (SEE) in San Diego/El Cajon, California. The instructional flight was operated by Golden State Flying Club under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), air traffic tower personnel at SEE reported that the airplane had been conducting touch-and-go takeoffs and landings on runway 27R. The controller stated that after completion of the second touch-and-go, he expected the airplane to turn right onto the crosswind leg, but it turned left and descended rapidly toward terrain west of the field. No mayday calls were received.
A witness in a vehicle saw the airplane take off and follow a normal climb path. He observed the left wing dip, initially thinking it was a normal turn, but then the left bank increased severely as the airplane flew toward an open field at the west end of the runway. The airplane lost altitude very quickly in a tight left turn and impacted the ground.
Another witness near the accident site heard the engine shut off and sounded as if it was trying to restart. The airplane then impacted three vehicles, came to rest inverted in a driveway, and a postaccident fire ensued.
Aircraft and Wreckage Information
The engine had been overhauled by Ly-Con Rebuilding and installed on June 25, 2014, with new Slick Champion Aerospace magnetos. Squawk sheets showed no identified issues with the magnetos.
At the accident site, the airplane sustained thermal damage from a postcrash fire. The left wing separated and came to rest on top of the right wing. The fuselage and cockpit area sustained ground impact damage. The flap handle was between the zero detent and the 10° detent. The ignition switch had a key broken inside and was positioned to "left mag." The fuel selector was on the right tank. The left wing fuel tank was breached but contained 13 gallons of blue liquid consistent with 100-LL aviation fuel; about 23 gallons were retrieved from the right wing.
The engine remained attached to its mount, which separated from the firewall. Several rear case accessories separated from their pads. The left magneto separated from its mounting pad and was not located. The propeller remained attached; the spinner had aft crush damage. One blade was bent forward, the other aft; both had minor leading edge and chordwise damage.
Medical and Pathological Information
The flight instructor's autopsy reported the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries with a contributing cause of traumatic asphyxia; manner of death listed as accident. Toxicology tests for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, and drugs of abuse were negative.
The student pilot's autopsy reported cause of death as blunt force head injuries; manner of death listed as accident. Toxicology tests revealed the presence of anhydroecgonine methyl ester, benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester, and phentermine in urine; phentermine also detected in blood and serum. The FAA stated that benzoylecgonine is a metabolite of cocaine, anhydroecgonine methyl ester indicates smoked cocaine, and phentermine is a prescription appetite suppressant not acceptable for airman duties. The toxicological findings indicated cocaine use hours to days before the accident, but no parent active drug was detected.
Examination Findings
Airframe examination revealed no preimpact failures with flight control surfaces or systems. The engine could be manually rotated and produced compression in all four cylinders. The right magneto (non-impulse coupled) remained attached. Internal friction and audible grinding were detected during rotation. Further examination showed the distributor gear electrode not seated properly and the distributor drive gear stuck; the rotor drive lower ball bearing was frozen, with rust present. Internal components were in good condition and tested within manufacturer specifications.