History of Flight
On June 9, 2017, at 1430 Pacific daylight time, a Beech 95-C55, N3717Q, impacted heavily forested terrain near Mountain Ranch, California. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The pilot/owner operated the airplane as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Marginal visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Del Mar Farms Airport (CN99), Patterson, California, at 1348 and was destined for Columbia Airport (O22), Columbia, California.
Radar track data indicated that the airplane departed CN99 about 1348 and flew directly toward O22, about 46 nautical miles northeast. The airplane climbed and maintained 2,600 ft mean sea level (msl) until about 4 nm from O22 (elevation about 2,120 ft msl). At that point, it began a climb and turned northwest toward Calaveras County Airport/Maury Rasmussen Field (CPU), San Andreas, California, about 13 nm northwest of O22. The airplane climbed to 4,000 ft msl before entering a descent. It continued in a right turn, and radar data was lost at 1413:29 with the airplane on a northeast heading at 3,649 ft msl about 1 nm north of the accident site. The pilot was not in contact with air traffic control during the flight.
An Alert Notice was issued, and the airplane was located by the Calaveras County Sheriff's Department on June 13, 2017.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single- and multiengine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on April 5, 2017, with a limitation requiring corrective lenses for near and distant vision. On the application, he reported 5,136 total flight hours with 70 hours in the previous six months. His personal logbook was not available for review.
Aircraft Information
The last annual inspection was completed on June 29, 2016, at a total airframe time of 3,920.9 hours. Left and right oil filters were dated January 26, 2017, with 3,937.3 total airframe hours. On March 3, 2017, the left main fuel cell and left auxiliary fuel cell were replaced; at that time, the logbook entry indicated 3,937.3 total airframe hours.
Meteorological Information
The pilot received two weather briefings on the day of the accident. The first was at 0457, an abbreviated briefing requesting current weather, Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF), and winds aloft at 6,000 ft for Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK), about 50 miles southwest of the accident site. The second briefing at 1304 included AIRMET advisories Tango and Sierra, the current O22 METAR, winds aloft at 6,000 ft, and a recommendation that visual flight rules (VFR) flight was not recommended.
AIRMETs Tango and Sierra were issued at 1345 and valid at the accident time, forecasting moderate turbulence below 18,000 ft and mountain obscuration due to clouds and mist. Conditions at the accident site and along the intended route were similar. Area observations indicated marginal VFR to VFR conditions with cloud ceilings between 1,000 and 3,300 ft above ground level (2,500 to 4,200 ft msl in mountainous terrain).
CPU, 12 miles southwest of the accident site, reported at 1355: wind from 060° at 6 knots, 10 miles visibility, scattered clouds at 900 ft agl, broken ceiling at 1,600 ft agl, overcast at 3,300 ft agl. At 1415, wind from 020° at 3 knots, similar visibility and cloud layers. At 1435, wind from 330° at 3 knots, scattered at 1,600 ft, broken at 2,900 ft, overcast at 6,500 ft.
O22, 15 miles south, reported at 1355: wind from 240° at 3 knots, scattered at 800 ft agl, broken at 2,400 ft agl, overcast at 3,300 ft agl. At 1435, calm wind, scattered at 1,300 ft agl, overcast at 2,200 ft agl.
The Area Forecast at 1245 forecast a broken ceiling at 3,500 to 5,000 ft msl with broken skies at 8,000 to 10,000 ft msl and cloud tops at 18,000 ft, with isolated light rain showers.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane came to rest inverted on a southerly heading on a 65° slope at 2,950 ft msl, about 15 miles north of O22. The wreckage was in a forested, hilly area with fragmented pieces throughout a 500 ft debris path culminating at the top of an adjacent hill. The fuselage, right engine, and portions of the right wing were near the top of a hill; the debris field extended downhill to the left wing and left engine. Several treetops between hills showed impact signatures. Vegetation near the empennage and both wings was brown and discolored consistent with fuel blight. Responding law enforcement reported a strong smell of fuel.
The right wing was fragmented; the right aileron and flap were present. Aileron control cable exhibits overload signatures. The right propeller assembly separated at the propeller flange, embedded in the hill; all three blades showed S-bending and torsional twisting. Both magnetos separated due to impact. The left propeller assembly also separated, embedded downhill; blades showed similar damage. The empennage, including portions of horizontal and vertical stabilizers, rudder, and elevators, was downhill. Flight control cables, pulleys, and tubes were continuous to the forward empennage with overload separation signatures.
The left engine and fragments of the left wing were at the bottom of a hill adjacent to a dry creek bed. Left aileron and flap had leading edge skin damage with accordion crushing. Left main landing gear was under the left flap assembly. The left engine was inverted with impact damage; exhaust tubing was separated and crushed. Outboard 3 ft of the left wing was at the top of the adjacent hill.
Flap actuator measurement was consistent with flaps retracted; landing gear was consistent with gear retracted. Examination of the airframe revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Visual examination of both engines found no obvious holes in the cases. Right engine: both magnetos separated; the right magneto was impact-damaged and not functionally checkable; disassembly showed no internal anomalies. The left magneto sparked at all leads when rotated. Ignition harnesses were damaged. Spark plugs exhibited normal wear per Champion Check-a-Plug chart, with no lead or carbon fouling. Borescope examination found no stuck valves; operating signatures appeared normal. Organic matter (dirt, tree fragments, rocks) was present in cylinders. Vacuum pump vanes were intact and coated with residual oil; drive shafts rotated without binding. Left engine: similar findings; the right magneto was heavily impact-damaged; the left magneto intact. Vacuum pump vanes intact; drive coupling had separated but was reinserted and rotated without binding.
Medical and Pathological Information
The autopsy, performed by the Forensic Consultant's Medical Group, Inc., Stockton, California, listed the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries; the autopsy was limited due to the extent of injury. Toxicology testing identified 93 mg/hg ethanol (equivalent to 0.093 gm/dl), isopropanol, N-Butanol, and citalopram in muscle tissue. The ethanol could have been from ingestion or postmortem microbial activity. The pilot reported high blood pressure controlled without medications and no other medications on his medical application. Citalopram (Celexa) is a prescription antidepressant not known to directly cause sleepiness or other impairing symptoms. No further records from the treating physician were obtained.
Additional Information
The NTSB investigation included discussion of Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) accidents, referencing FAA Advisory Circular 61-134 and a 2008 NTSB Safety Alert. These documents highlight risks such as loss of situational awareness, inadequate preflight planning, and failure to maintain terrain clearance. The report noted that the pilot was advised that VFR flight was not recommended before departure.