History of Flight
On October 11, 2021, at about 1214 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 340A, registration N7022G, was destroyed when it impacted a residential street near Santee, California. The pilot and one person on the ground were fatally injured, and two people on the ground sustained serious injuries. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Review of audio recordings from Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities and recorded ADS-B data revealed the sequence of events. At 1203:58, the controller broadcasted a weather update for Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (MYF), including visibility of 10 miles, ceiling 1,700 ft broken, overcast at 2,800 ft, and runway 23 in use. At 1209:20, the controller instructed the pilot to turn right to a 250° heading to join the final approach, which the pilot acknowledged. The airplane was at 3,900 ft mean sea level (msl). At 1210:04, the controller cleared the pilot for the ILS Runway 28R approach with instructions to descend to 2,800 ft until established on the localizer, then circle to land on runway 23. The pilot partially read back the instructions.
At 1211:19, the controller advised of traffic at the pilot's 2 o'clock position, 3 miles, southbound at 5,000 ft descending to 4,000 ft; the traffic was a C130, and a wake turbulence caution was provided. The pilot acknowledged while at 2,550 ft. The controller then noted the airplane drifting right of course and asked if the pilot was correcting; the pilot responded affirmatively. At 1211:45, the pilot stated "SoCal, is 22G, VFR runway 23" while at 2,175 ft msl. The controller canceled the approach clearance due to not tracking the localizer, issued a climb to 3,000 ft, and a low altitude alert, noting the minimum vectoring altitude was 2,800 ft. The pilot acknowledged at 2,400 ft msl.
At 1212:12, the controller instructed a climb to 3,800 ft; the pilot responded while at 3,550 ft. Shortly after, the controller issued a turn right to 090° for vectors to final, which the pilot acknowledged. At 1212:54, the controller instructed a climb immediately to 4,000 ft; the pilot acknowledged at 2,500 ft msl. The controller then noted a descent and reminded the pilot to climb, followed by an acknowledgment. At 1213:35, the controller queried altitude; the pilot responded "2,500 ft." The controller issued a low altitude alert and instructed an expedited climb to 5,000 ft. No further communications were received.
ADS-B data showed the airplane began climbing at 1213:39 from 2,550 ft msl, reached 3,500 ft msl, then descended in a right turn. The last recorded target was at 900 ft msl, about 1,333 ft northwest of the accident site. Multiple witnesses reported seeing the airplane in a right-wing-low descent. One witness, a private pilot, reported hearing engines at high power for about 3 seconds and noted an overcast layer at about 1,900 ft msl. Another witness, a helicopter pilot, reported seeing the airplane make an initial descent of a few hundred feet followed by a rapid nose-down descent in a right-wing-low attitude.
Personnel Information
The pilot's logbook from May 4, 2018, to October 6, 2021, showed 152.2 hours in the accident airplane, including 8.2 hours in instrument meteorological conditions and 48 instrument approaches. No reference to a circle-to-land maneuver was found. The most recent flight review and instrument proficiency check were completed on August 27, 2021, consisting of 0.7 hours of dual instruction, 2 instrument approaches, and 3 landings. No specific training on the recently installed Garmin avionics was noted, though a magazine article indicated the pilot had owned other aircraft with different advanced avionics.
Aircraft Information
Maintenance records showed installation of Garmin GI275, GFC600 autopilot, GTN 650, GTN 750 Xi, and G500 TXi on November 6, 2020, at a HOBBS time of 2,629 hours. The most recent maintenance was an oil change on August 5, 2021, at 2,734.5 HOBBS hours.
Meteorological Information
At 1155, Gillespie Field Airport (SEE), 1.8 miles south, reported a broken cloud ceiling at 2,700 ft agl. At 1153, Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (MYF), 9 miles west-southwest, reported ceilings broken at 1,700 ft agl, overcast at 2,800 ft.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane impacted a residential street on a heading of about 113° magnetic. The debris path was about 475 ft long and 400 ft wide, oriented at 132°, including airplane, vehicle, and residential structure debris. Numerous structures exhibited impact and fire damage. The first identified point of contact was a 10-inch by 5-inch gouge in the road, with subsequent scrape marks, a damaged vehicle, and a large impact crater containing propeller blade fragments. The main wreckage showed extensive fire damage and fragmentation. Both engines were separated from mounts; no preimpact mechanical malfunctions were found. Propeller blades exhibited bending opposite rotation, chordwise scratching, and twisting. Control continuity was established for elevator, rudder, and ailerons with overload separations. Elevator and rudder trim actuators were in neutral position.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the San Diego County Medical Examiner listed the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory found no drugs of abuse.
Additional Information
The FAA's Airplane Flying Handbook describes hazards when the ground or horizon is obscured, noting that the vestibular sense can cause spatial disorientation.