History of Flight
On July 30, 2023, about 0640 Pacific daylight time, a Beech P35, N8572M, was destroyed in an accident near Upland, California. The airplane was operated as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured.
A witness located northeast of runway 24 at Cable Airport (CCB) observed the airplane in a nose-high profile during initial climb. At about 300-400 ft above ground level, the left wing dropped and the airplane entered a nosedive before disappearing behind hangars. The witness reported engine operation at full power and flaps in the retracted position. Airport surveillance video confirmed the nose-high takeoff, left wing drop, and nose-low attitude. The airplane struck a hangar south of the runway and came to rest at the hangar entrance, where a postcrash fire occurred.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land rating. On his most recent airman medical application (September 27, 2007), he reported 175 hours of flight experience, with 50 hours in the previous 6 months. He was issued a third-class medical certificate without limitations, which subsequently expired; he did not hold a current medical certificate at the time of the accident. No further flight experience information was available.
Aircraft and Airport Information
The airplane's logbooks were not available for review; family members reported they were likely onboard. An FAA inspector canvassed local businesses and travel mechanics but found no evidence of recent maintenance on the airplane.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Postaccident examination revealed the airplane came to rest inverted at the base of a hangar, facing south. The left wing separated and rested on the hangar roof. The firewall and nose landing gear were embedded in the hangar door frame. The farthest debris (nose landing gear and left wing portion) were about 80 ft from the main wreckage. The engine separated and came to rest about 20 ft west of the main wreckage.
The fuselage was thermally destroyed, exposing flight control cables. Continuity was established from cockpit to all control surfaces; most cables and hardware remained intact. However, the elevator bellcrank and associated hardware, elevator down cable continuity hardware, left wing bellcrank, and left aileron direct cable had separated with impact-damage signatures. The tail section was inverted but relatively positioned normally. The elevator trim actuator was in neutral position. The left flap actuator indicated retracted; the right flap could not be determined. The fuel selector was in the OFF position and moved normally to LEFT and RIGHT.
Engine examination showed separation from mounts, a fractured oil sump pan exposing the interior, and intact crankshaft, connecting rods, and camshaft. Cylinders Nos. 5 and 6 and the propeller hub assembly sustained impact damage. Top spark plugs exhibited normal wear. Both magnetos separated but produced spark when rotated manually. The ignition harness was damaged, with seven leads separated from spark plugs.
The propeller hub was broken; one portion remained on the crankshaft and another embedded in the hangar door. Both blades separated. One blade, found inside the hangar, had leading and trailing edge nicks, gouges, chordwise scratching, and S-bending. The other blade, in the main wreckage, sustained fire damage and had leading edge nicks, gouges, and a curled tip.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by the San Bernardino County Coroner listed the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries, instantaneous, and the manner as accident. The pilot's major coronary arteries were calcified without atherosclerosis; the left ventricle and interventricular septum were thickened. No other significant natural disease was identified.
Toxicology testing at the FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute found 12 mg/dL ethanol in brain tissue and losartan in liver and muscle. Losartan is a non-impairing prescription medication for high blood pressure. Ethanol can impair judgment and performance, but postmortem production from microbial activity is possible.