History of Flight
On June 10, 2022, about 0800 Pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20K, N305L, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Camarillo, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot had flown from Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT), Phoenix, Arizona, to Camarillo Airport (CMA), Camarillo, California, on the previous day. The accident flight was intended to be the return trip. The pilot’s wife stated that he called her at 0600 to inform her of a delayed departure due to cloudy weather.
At 0724, the pilot contacted Leidos Flight Service and requested an abbreviated weather briefing. The briefer reported a marine layer present in Camarillo, and the pilot responded that it was “socked in.” The pilot requested cloud top information and was provided a pilot report (PIREP) indicating 700-ft cloud tops along the coast about 40 miles southeast at Los Angeles International Airport. Subsequently, the pilot inquired about filing a VFR-on-top flight plan; the briefer advised that an IFR flight plan with a VFR-on-top clearance was required and could be filed immediately. The weather at the time included calm wind, visibility of 4 miles, a 300-ft overcast ceiling, and mist.
After the flight plan was filed, the pilot contacted the CMA tower controller and received an IFR clearance to DVT with instructions to turn right to 275° after departure, climb and maintain 3,000 ft, and expect 7,000 ft 5 minutes after departure. The pilot omitted the initial altitude instruction during readback, which was corrected. About 8 minutes later, the pilot stated readiness to taxi and was instructed to taxi to runway 26 via taxiways F and A. During taxi, the pilot appeared to use taxiway G and informed the controller that he had not previously departed from CMA, prompting amended taxi instructions.
At 0758, the airplane was cleared for takeoff. About 90 seconds later, the pilot was instructed to contact departure control. The pilot acknowledged but did not make contact. Approximately one minute thereafter, a controller from Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control informed the CMA tower that the pilot had not contacted departure and the airplane did not appear on radar.
A witness driving along Route 101, about 0.5 miles north of the departure runway, reported seeing a low-flying airplane traveling at high speed from south to north. The airplane appeared to have no trailing smoke or vapors, and the engine was audible. The airplane was observed in a 90° right bank with its belly visible. It subsequently collided with the ground just past the freeway, and a postcrash fire ensued. A dashboard-mounted video from another witness captured flames and low clouds and fog in the area.
Personnel Information
The pilot’s most recent flight review occurred on May 22, 2021. Attempts to contact the flight instructor who provided that review were unsuccessful.
Federal Aviation Regulations require pilots operating under IFR to maintain currency by performing and logging, within the preceding 6 calendar months, at least 6 instrument approaches, holding procedures, and intercepting and tracking courses. The pilot’s logbook generally documented specific flights for currency and proficiency, with remaining flight time entered in block entries coinciding with oil changes. An entry dated March 31, 2022, indicated an unknown number of RNAV approaches during a round-trip flight from DVT to Hayward, California. Flight data for the accident airplane showed its last eight flights (May 4 to June 9, 2022) were not logged. An entry on June 6, 2022, noted two instrument landing system approaches at Casa Grande Municipal Airport.
The first logbook entry, dated July 11, 2012, indicated total prior flight experience of 1,672 hours. Subsequent pages showed about 787 additional hours, with 80 hours in actual instrument conditions. The logbook had four references to “VFR on top,” the last in May 2019.
The pilot’s most recent FAA medical certificate expired in 2016. He completed a BasicMed Course on May 6, 2019, and reported a comprehensive medical examination on the same day. Records from the indicated physician did not include a CMEC form or examination record for that date.
The pilot’s wife stated he had previously flown in actual instrument conditions, possibly during a February 2022 trip to Alameda, California. She noted he had no compelling reason to return home on the accident day.
Aircraft Information
FAA records show the pilot purchased the airplane in 2006. The airplane was fueled to capacity at a CMA fixed-base operator after landing the previous day. Postaccident fuel testing yielded nominal results. The airplane was equipped with an autopilot; the roll servo was repaired on March 11, 2021, and an overhauled vacuum pump was installed on March 8, 2022.
Meteorological Information
CMA is located in a coastal basin about 7.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean, affected by marine layer patterns especially in early summer. A terminal aerodrome forecast issued at 0506 indicated persistent marine layer conditions with 3-knot wind, 6-mile visibility, mist, and a broken ceiling at 600 ft. A forecast at 0713 expected worsening conditions between 0700 and 0900: variable wind at 3 knots, 1/2-mile visibility, fog, and overcast ceiling at 200 ft.
Area PIREPs near the accident time indicated cloud tops between 400 and 1,600 ft. A Graphical Forecasts for Aviation valid at the accident time showed broken cloud coverage with bases at 300 ft and tops at 2,100 ft.
Weather information was relayed to the pilot during the 0724 call. No evidence indicates what additional weather information he received before or during the flight. Observations surrounding the accident were consistent with low IFR to IFR conditions (low IFR: ceilings below 500 ft and/or visibility less than 1 mile).
Wreckage and Impact Information
The first point of impact was a wing-shaped imprint on a building south of Route 101, about 50 ft above ground level, 1 mile west-northwest of runway 26’s departure end, consistent with a 15° right-wing-low attitude. The outboard right wing and aileron were on the building’s roof. Debris trail extended on a heading of about 035° across the freeway to a secondary impact point in a strawberry field 750 ft away. Further debris included the propeller assembly, cabin skin, and flight instruments, leading to the main wreckage about 250 ft beyond the secondary point.
The airframe sustained extensive impact and thermal damage to the leading edge of the tail assembly. Impact and thermally damaged remnants of the entire left wing and the inboard section of the right wing remained attached to the cabin center. The elevator trim jack screw extension was consistent with takeoff trim. Both main landing gear were up and raised, as indicated by the actuator jackscrew extension. The seat rail and lower seat were set in the middle of their travel range.
Flight controls exhibited significant damage with overload signatures. The vacuum pump was undamaged with intact coupling and internal components. Damage prevented assessment of vacuum-driven instruments and autopilot. No evidence indicated a catastrophic engine failure; spark plugs showed normal operation and short service life. Turbocharger compressor blades exhibited tears and bending opposite rotation, with rubbing between blade tips and scroll. All three propeller blades remained attached to the hub, which had detached from the crankshaft; blades showed impact damage consistent with rotation. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or bird strike was found.
Additional Information
Radar and ADS-B flight tracks were not captured. CMA sits at the edge of Point Mugu radar coverage; theoretical ADS-B coverage models are unavailable below 500 ft mean sea level, so sensor coverage for the accident site could not be determined.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the Ventura County Medical Examiner determined the pilot’s cause of death as blunt trauma. The pilot had an enlarged heart, 60% narrowing of a coronary artery, localized heart scarring, mitral valve replacement, and an implanted cardiac pacemaker/defibrillator. Attempts to download data from the damaged device were unsuccessful.
The pilot was operating under BasicMed provisions, which require a completed BasicMed Course within 24 months and a medical examination using the CMEC within 48 months. Pilots with certain conditions, including heart valve replacement, must obtain an FAA Authorization for Special Issuance for those conditions; the accident pilot had not completed that process for his mitral valve replacement.