History of Flight
On November 22, 2016, at about 0420 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-28-181 airplane, registration N6912C, impacted mountainous terrain shortly after takeoff from Cable Airport (CCB) in Upland, California. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was privately owned and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Night visual meteorological conditions (VMC) were present, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which had departed CCB at 0416 and was destined for Riverside Airport (RAL), Riverside, California.
After departure, the pilot contacted the Ontario International Airport (ONT) local controller at about 0419. The controller instructed the pilot to identify using the airplane's transponder and issued the current altimeter setting. At about 0420, the pilot acknowledged and reported that he "just departed Cable en route to Riverside we're VFR we just appreciate…" The transmission was cut short, and radar contact was lost. The controller attempted to reestablish contact, but no further communications were received. About 15 minutes later, an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal was detected, and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued at 0457. The wreckage was soon located at an elevation of about 2,920 ft mean sea level on the south face of rising terrain, about 3.5 nautical miles north of CCB.
Recorded radar data indicated that after departing runway 24, the airplane made a climbing left turn, crossed over CCB, and proceeded on a northerly course, climbing to 3,000 ft msl. Radar contact was lost near the accident site about 3 minutes after takeoff.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His logbook showed 2,557.6 total flight hours. Logbook entries were recorded between September 2011 and January 2013, with no entries from January 2013 to August 2016. In the three months before the accident, the pilot completed a flight review and an instrument proficiency check, logging 12.9 hours of simulated instrument time, 15 instrument approaches, and 2.4 hours of night flight. He had 12.6 hours in the accident airplane make and model, all within the 20 days before the accident. He had accumulated 523 hours of actual instrument experience, none within the three months before the accident.
The pilot's most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on August 22, 2016, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses and possess glasses for near/intermediate vision.
The instructor who endorsed the pilot for his most recent instrument proficiency check stated that the pilot reported feeling uncomfortable flying in night conditions.
Aircraft Information
The four-seat, low-wing, fixed-gear airplane, serial number 28-8590051, was manufactured in 1985. The airframe had 3,357.5 hours at the most recent annual inspection in October 2016. The Hobbs meter recorded 3,409.9 hours at the time of the accident. The engine was a 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360-A4M, serial number L-31037-36A. The most recent 100-hour inspection was completed in October 2016; engine total time was 3,004.7 hours, with 1,004.7 hours since major overhaul.
Meteorological Information
The 0429 weather observation at ONT included calm wind, 10 statute miles visibility, broken clouds at 1,500 ft, temperature 50°F, dewpoint 48°F, and altimeter setting 30.08 inches of mercury.
Sunset occurred at 1643 the night before, with civil twilight ending at 1710. On the accident morning, civil twilight began at 0603, and sunrise occurred at 0630. The moon was a waning crescent with 36% of its visible disk illuminated. Moon transit was at 0017, and moonset at 1314.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted terrain in a slight left-wing-low, nose-high attitude. The hillside consisted of low brush, rocky and loose soil on a slope of about 50°. The airplane came to rest at the initial impact point. There were no ground structures or lighting in the immediate area.
All flight control surfaces were located at the accident site, and control continuity was established from the cockpit to the surfaces. Both wings remained at least partially attached at the roots. The left wing leading edge was crushed upward along its span. The right wing sustained extensive ground impact damage, mostly to the bottom surface. The forward cockpit and instrument panel sustained extensive impact damage and rearward crushing. The rear empennage and tail section sustained minor damage and were mostly intact.
The engine remained attached via engine mounts and sustained significant impact damage, particularly on the lower left side. A visual and teardown examination revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical failure or malfunction.
The two-bladed, fixed-pitch propeller remained attached at the crankshaft flange. Blade #1 displayed leading edge gouging, torsional twisting, chordwise striations, and S-bending, with an approximate 2-inch tip section torn away. Blade #2 remained intact and straight with minor damage.
Medical and Pathological Information
Postmortem examination by the San Bernardino County Coroner Division determined the cause of death as instantaneous blunt force trauma. Toxicological testing by the FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory was negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol. Atenolol was detected in liver and muscle. Atenolol is a beta blocker used to treat high blood pressure and angina; it is not considered impairing.