A SEARCH IS BEGUN WHEN RPTR DOESN'T SHOW UP AT ARPT CTLR THOUGHT WAS HIS DEST.

Narrative

AT 9 NM E OF FUL AND AROUND 4000 FT; INITIAL CONTACT WITH ONT APCH WAS MADE; THE PLT REQUESTED TRANSIT TO L26; CLB TO 7500 FT. HOWEVER; THE PLT INTENDED L26 TO BE A WAYPOINT; THE FINAL DEST WAS EL MIRAGE DRY LAKE BED; 19 NM W OF GEORGE AFB. IN THE PAST; THE PLT HAD EXPERIENCED TROUBLE RELATING THE OFF ARPT LOCATION TO CTLRS; THUS HE OPTED TO USE L26 BECAUSE L26 WAS A WAYPOINT AND THE NEAREST ARPT TO THE DEST. ESPECIALLY ON THAT EXTREMELY BUSY DAY; THE PLT FELT THE CTLRS WOULD TOLERATE THE 3 LETTER IDENTIFIER BETTER THAN A DESCRIPTIVE REPLY. OVER 1 ARPT THE PLT REACHED 7500 FT AND SOON AFTER WAS HANDED OFF TO THE NEXT CTLR WHO SEEMED VERY BUSY. AS THE PLT ARRIVED AT CAJON PASS; HE WAITED FOR THE CTLR TO TERMINATE RADAR SVC AMIDST THE CONTINUOUS ATC CHATTER. THE TERMINATION NEVER OCCURRED. AS THE PLT ENTERED CAJON PASS; HE REQUESTED FREQ CHANGE BUT THERE WAS NO REPLY. THE CTLR NEVER HEARD THAT XMISSION ALTHOUGH IT WAS CLRLY RECORDED ON THE TAPE; 45 SECONDS WENT BY BEFORE THE CTLR ISSUED RADAR SVC CANCELLATION. HOWEVER; BY THAT TIME THE PLT HAD ALREADY LOST RADIO CONTACT WITH ONT; HE HAD RESET XPONDER TO 1200; CHANGED COURSE AND PROCEEDED TO HIS DEST (WHERE HE CAMPED OVER NIGHT). MEANWHILE; THE CTLR KNOWING THE HAZARDS OF CAJON PASS WAS DISTURBED BY THE SUDDEN LOSS OF RADAR CONTACT AND BY THE LACK OF A RADIO REPLY. HE MAY EVEN MOMENTARILY NOTICED A COURSE CHANGE WHICH WOULD BRING THE AIRPLANE CLOSER TO THE HILL SIDE RATHER THAN A STRAIGHT HDG FOR L26. UNABLE TO FURTHER DETERMINE THAT ACFT'S PROGRESS; HE INITIATED PROCS FOR A RAMP CHK AT L26. OF COURSE THE PLT NEVER MADE IT TO L26; AND AROUND THE SAME TIME THE SATELLITE WAS PICKING UP AN ELT IN THE RADAR LOST VICINITY. UNABLE TO LOCATE THE NOW MISSING ACFT AT L26; THE POSSIBILITY FOR ANOTHER CAJON CRASH MUST HAVE SEEMED OVERWHELMING; THUS A SHERIFF AND CIVIL AIR PATROL SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THEY SEARCHED THE CAJON HILL SIDES THAT EVENING; HOWEVER BAD WX LATER HALTED THE SEARCH. AS THE CIVIL AIR PATROL TEAM GATHERED MORE INFO; AND AFTER VIEWING TAPES OF RADAR TRACES FROM ONT AND JOSHUA (ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PASS) APCHS THEY WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT THE MISSING PLANE ACTUALLY FLEW SAFELY OUT OF CAJON PASS AND WAS LOCATED ABOUT 25 NM NW OF CAJON. NEXT MORNING BEFORE ANOTHER SEARCH PLANE WAS SENT; THE PLT WAS ALREADY RETURNING TO SNA. AS HE REQUESTED TRANSIT THROUGH ONT AIRSPACE; HE WAS INFORMED OF THE CURRENT SEARCH FOR HIM. AFTER LNDG AT SNA THE PLT PROMPTLY CONTACTED CIVIL AIR PATROL AND ONT APCH. THERE ARE SEVERAL ISSUES AT HAND. FIRST OF ALL; FAR 91.130 STATES PLTS MUST MAINTAIN RADIO CONTACT WHILE IN THE ARSA; THE PLT WAS WELL OUT OF THE ARSA AT CAJON PASS. HE COULD HAVE CIRCLED BACK TO SIGN OFF WITH THE CTLR; HOWEVER; THE PLT THOUGHT THE CTLR WOULD BE MUCH TOO BUSY TO ENTERTAIN SUCH AEROBATICS; BESIDES IT IS NORMAL TO LOSE CONTACT IN THE CAJON PASS. THUS THE PLT THOUGHT NO FURTHER ACTION WAS NEEDED; OTHER THAN RESETTING THE XPONDER TO 1200. AT THIS POINT THE PLT WAS AT WORST UNKNOWINGLY DISCOURTEOUS AND MEANT NO MALICE. THE BIGGEST CONFUSION AROSE FROM THE PLT TELLING THE CTLR HE WAS GOING TO L26; AS EXPLAINED EARLIER; THE CTLRS HAVE A HIGH AFFINITY FOR 3 LETTER IDENTIFIERS. THE PLT ASSUMED WAYPOINTS; NOT NECESSARILY FINAL DEST ARPTS; ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR ARSA TRANSIT REQUESTS; AND WHY CAN'T L26 BE A WAYPOINT? ALSO; IT IS NOT ILLEGAL FOR VFR PLTS TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS AND FLY TO OTHER ARPTS; ESPECIALLY WHEN NO FLT PLAN WAS FILED. AFTER THE RAMP CHK AT L26; THE FOCUS ON THE CRASH THEORY MUST HAVE BEEN SO TREMENDOUS THAT OTHER POSSIBILITIES MUST HAVE SEEMED VERY REMOVED.