Accident Overview
On October 20, 2021, about 1100 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150L, registration N5268Q, was substantially damaged when it impacted the rising face of Mount Bradley about 2 miles northwest of Interstate 5 near Dunsmuir, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Flight History
The pilot departed Sequim Valley Airport (W28), Sequim, Washington, about 1000 PDT on October 19, 2021, for a multi-leg cross-country flight destined for Haigh Field Airport (O37), Orland, California. During a stop at Independence State Airport (7S5), Independence, Oregon, a witness reported that the pilot charged the airplane battery because he was having “issues” with the alternator. The witness offered assistance to find a replacement alternator, but the pilot refused. Witnesses noted that the pilot was “anxious” to get home and displayed a “get-there-itis” posture. After charging the battery, the pilot departed for Ashland Municipal Airport-Sumner Parker Field (S03), Ashland, Oregon, where he landed for an overnight rest stop. On October 20, the pilot departed S03 about 0940 PDT en route to O37.
Search and Wreckage Location
After a family friend became concerned when the pilot was unreachable by cell phone, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert notification (ALNOT) on October 20 at 1925 PDT. A search ensued, and the wreckage was discovered on a rising face of Mt. Bradley, about 725 ft below the summit.
Pilot Information
According to FAA records, the pilot held an expired student pilot certificate and reported 200 total flight hours, with 0 hours in the six months before his last aviation medical examination on March 16, 1999. At that examination, he reported no medication use or active medical conditions. A family member reported that the pilot was a diabetic. Another witness stated that the pilot had been flying as long as he had owned the airplane, about 20 years.
Weather Conditions
No record existed of the pilot receiving a weather briefing or viewing weather imagery from Lockheed Martin Flight Service, DUATS, or ForeFlight Mobile before departure. The pilot did not file a flight plan. It is unknown whether he retrieved weather information from other sources.
At 0840 PDT on the accident day, weather at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport (MFR), Oregon, about 15 nm from S03, included winds calm, visibility 10 statute miles, broken clouds at 6,500 ft, overcast at 8,500 ft, temperature/dewpoint 9/8°C, altimeter 29.96 inHg. At 1050 PDT, weather at Dunsmuir Municipal-Mott Airport (1O6), about 3 nm northeast of the accident site, included wind from 100° at 4 knots, visibility 2 statute miles, light rain, scattered clouds at 700 ft, broken at 1,600 ft, overcast at 2,500 ft. The accident site elevation was about 5,314 ft. A power company lineman supervisor working near Mt. Bradley reported that a fog layer to the top of the mountain allowed about 200-ft visibility. Between 1100 and 1200, he heard a low-flying airplane; the engine sounded as if it was running but he did not hear impact. Fog was present most of the morning and early afternoon.
Wreckage Examination
The airplane impacted a mountain at about 5,290 ft mean sea level, coming to rest on a 15° slope on a heading of 350° magnetic. The first identified point of contact (FIPC) was two 40-ft-tall pine trees and broken branches, consistent with level flight. A debris path oriented at 360° magnetic extended about 75 ft forward of the FIPC, marked by tree strikes. The main wreckage was about 225 ft beyond the FIPC. The nose, engine compartment, and main landing gear were inverted left of the cabin; the fuselage and cabin were upright. The windscreen and both cabin doors separated. The instrument panel remained mostly intact. The master switch was in the OFF position; all other switches were also OFF. The ignition was in the BOTH position. The fuel selector was ON. ADS-B was not broadcasting due to the battery switch being OFF.
Both wings separated. The right wing had compression damage on the leading edge 3 to 5 ft from the root, consistent with a tree strike. Flight control cables exhibited broom-straw failure from tension overload. The left wing had compression wrinkles and two areas of leading-edge compression damage. Fuel was observed in both tanks. The engine was displaced left and inverted, with cylinders intact. Spark plugs were oily with carbon deposits. The carburetor, magnetos, and fuel system showed no anomalies. The alternator was examined; the manufacturer’s manual indicates the alternator supplies electrical power and charges the battery. Examination of the alternator revealed no electrical continuity. No evidence of mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation was found.
Medical and Pathological Information
The pilot’s autopsy, performed by the County of Siskiyou Office of the Sheriff/Coroner, listed cause of death as exsanguination and manner as accidental. Toxicological tests conducted by the FAA detected diphenhydramine (antihistamine) at 174 ng/mL in heart blood and in urine, and famotidine (stomach acid medication) in heart blood and urine. Hemoglobin A1c was elevated at 8.6%. Glucose measured 5 mg/dL in vitreous and 1051 mg/dL in urine. Witnesses reported the pilot self-medicated with diphenhydramine and famotidine for an upset stomach.