On June 5, 2020, about 0801 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 175, N9217B, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Redlands, California. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Recorded automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed that the airplane departed Big Bear City Airport (L35), Big Bear City, California, about 0745 and proceeded southwesterly as it climbed to 9,300 ft mean sea level (msl). At 0751:36, the airplane began a descent followed by a left turn to a southeasterly heading.
About 6 minutes, 12 seconds later, a right turn to a southerly heading was observed when the airplane was at an altitude of about 5,150 ft msl. The airplane then entered a left 270° turn, which it completed at an altitude of about 5,275 ft msl. About 1 minute later, a left turn to a southwesterly heading at 3,975 ft msl was observed. The airplane remained on a southwesterly heading and continued to descend until ADS-B contact was lost at 0800:58, at an altitude of 2,775 ft, about 436 ft northeast of the accident site.
Figure 1: ADS-B data overlay on Google Earth image.
There are no known witnesses to the accident sequence. San Bernardino County Sheriff Air Units located the wreckage about 1630.
Examination of the accident site by a FAA inspector revealed that the airplane impacted hilly terrain on a southwesterly heading and came to rest at an elevation of 2,874 ft. The wreckage debris path was about 80 ft in length and contained all major structural components of the airplane.
A postaccident examination of the recovered airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preexisting mechanical malfunction that would have precluded normal operation.
At the time of the accident, the pilot did not hold a valid pilot certificate. The pilot’s most recent FAA medical certificate was issued in 1994. The pilot’s logbooks were not located.
A high-resolution rapid refresh numerical model data from the accident site area was plotted using the Universal RAwinsonde OBservation (RAOB) program software. The plotted data indicated nimbostratus type clouds from the lifted condensation level and level of free convection at 41 ft above ground level (agl), or 2,797 ft mean sea level (msl), to to 4,350 ft msl, with light rain and mist.
The closest weather reporting station was at San Bernardino International Airport (SBD), San Bernardino, California. The next closest weather reporting location was March Air Reserve Base (RIV), Riverside, California, located about 14 miles southwest of the accident site at an elevation of 1,536 ft. At 0758, recorded weather data at RIV captured wind calm, visibility 3 miles, light drizzle and mist, ceiling overcast at 400 ft agl, temperature 16° C, dew point temperature 15° C, and an altimeter setting of 29.84 inches of mercury.
The Terminal Aerodrome Forecast for the area, which was issued at 0427, indicated marginal visual flight rules conditions to prevail from 0500 through 1000, with winds variable at 3 knots, visibility better than 6 miles, and ceiling overcast at 1,400 ft agl.
A search of the FAA automated flight service station contract provider Leidos indicated that they had no contact with the pilot of the accident airplane for any weather briefing on the day of the accident and no third-party vendors utilized their system for any requests for weather data or to file any flight plans. It is therefore unknown what information the pilot may have used to familiarize himself with forecast weather conditions before departure or en route.
The Coroner’s Division of the Office of the Sheriff, San Bernadino, California, performed the pilot’s autopsy. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.
Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory detected 11 mg/dl of ethanol in the muscle and unspecified amounts of Lamotrigine in the liver and muscle. Lamotrigine, sometimes marketed as Lamictal, is a prescription medication that can be used to treat seizure disorders, bipolar disorder, and migraine headache prevention. Lamotrigine typically carries a warning that it may cause dizziness, sleepiness, and other symptoms and signs of central nervous system depression, and users should not drive or operate other complex machinery until they have gained sufficient experience to gauge whether the drug adversely affects their mental and/or motor performance. In users with underlying heart disease, the drug may sometimes cause dangerous heartbeat disturbances. Lamotrigine use is generally disqualifying for FAA medical certification.
Ethanol is the intoxicating alcohol in beer, wine, and liquor. It can impair judgment, psychomotor performance, cognition, and vigilance. Ethanol can also be produced by microbes in a person’s body after death.