History of Flight
On June 26, 2019, at about 2037 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172S (registration N3504A) departed Watsonville, California, for an unknown destination. The airplane and its pilot have not been located, and the airplane is presumed destroyed by impact in the Pacific Ocean. The pilot is presumed to have received fatal injuries. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar tracking data showed transponder code 1200 returns from an aircraft that appeared to depart Watsonville Municipal Airport (WVI) at 2038:34. The first return indicated an altitude of 200 ft mean sea level (msl). The airplane flew southwest, climbing to 4,500 ft msl about 5 nautical miles offshore, then turned west-northwest and climbed to 4,900 ft msl. It continued about 10 nm, descending to 1,000 ft msl, then turned northwest and flew parallel to the coastline about 3 nm offshore for about 16 nm, at altitudes varying between 700 and 400 ft msl. The airplane then turned west and entered a left descending circle about 1 nm in diameter. The final radar return was at 2102:18 near the completion of the circle.
That evening, campers about 30 miles west-northwest of WVI and about 1 mile inland reported seeing a blinking white and green light, which they perceived as a helicopter, flying northbound over the ocean. They observed it descend straight down to the water and saw a large splash. They reported the event to local law enforcement. San Mateo County Sheriff's Office (SMCSO) officers responded within the hour. The SMCSO contacted the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and other agencies, but no aircraft had been reported in distress or missing. About 2300, the USCG advised that circumstances did not meet criteria to initiate a search.
The following day, a Santa Cruz Flying Club (SCFC) pilot who had scheduled the accident airplane could not find it at its tiedown location. SCFC used a self-dispatch system. The SCFC president was unable to account for the airplane or one of the member pilots. Two days after the flight, the SCFC president notified the Watsonville Police Department and WVI management. Surveillance video from WVI showed an airplane similar in appearance taxiing across a ramp at nightfall on June 26, but the registration was not discernible. The SCFC president reported that this operation was not scheduled or authorized.
The last radar return was about 31 nm northwest of WVI, about 3.2 miles off the coast at a transponder-indicated altitude of 0 ft, about 3.8 miles southwest of the eyewitnesses. Additional land and ocean searches were conducted on June 29 and 30, including a USCG search in the area of the final radar return. No wreckage or indications of the airplane were found. A ramp check of Half Moon Bay Airport did not locate the airplane. A search of WVI found the pilot's vehicle with his mobile telephone inside. Law enforcement did not locate the pilot at his residence, and communications with next-of-kin also failed to locate him.
Pilot Information
The pilot's personal flight records were not recovered. According to the SCFC president, the pilot's most recent flight review was completed on July 10, 2017, after which he flew solo twice in SCFC airplanes in July and October 2017. These were his last contacts with SCFC until May 2019, when he returned to regain currency. He flew with an SCFC flight instructor on May 29 and June 7, 2019. The instructor did not sign him off to fly SCFC airplanes solo, and the pilot had scheduled more sessions but did not conduct additional flights until the accident flight. The instructor did not cite any concerns about the pilot's behavior or attitude.
According to FAA medical certificate applications, the pilot had at least three prior convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol. He was granted an eligibility letter by the FAA Aerospace Medical Certification Division (AMCD) in June 2004, requiring continued abstinence from alcohol. The pilot had a family history of bipolar disease and major depression. In 2007, AMCD found no substance abuse or dependence but determined he had adjustment disorders with depressed mood. AMCD granted an eligibility letter on May 24, 2007, with no required follow-up.
Meteorological Information
The 2100 WVI automated weather observation included wind from 320° at 8 knots, visibility 10 miles, an overcast ceiling at 700 ft agl, temperature 14°C, dew point 13°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.06 inches of mercury. Local sunset was at 2030, and twilight ended at 2101.
Communications
The WVI common traffic advisory frequency was not recorded by the airport. A review of a commercially available recording of the CTAF for the relevant time revealed no communications from any aircraft identified as N3504A. No known communications occurred between the missing airplane and air traffic control facilities during the flight.