19990422019419A

On April 22, 1999, about 1230 hours pacific daylight time, a Cessna 150G, N3403J, was destroyed when it impaced a mountain near Gorman, California. The private pilot, who was not instrument rated, was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight and no flight plan was filed. The flight was operated in accordance with 14 CFR part 91 by the owner and departed from meadows field, bakersfield, California, at 1136. There were no witnesses to the accident and the accident time is estimated based upon the departure time from bakersfield and the elapsed time on the engine tachometer. The pilot's logbook, found with wreckage, contained an entry dated April 22, 1999, which stated [gas] "18.74 gals @ 279.3 eng. Hrs @ bfl." At the accident scent the engine tachometer recorded 280.2 hours. According to the federal aviation administration western region quality assurance office, the pilot was cleared for takeoff from bakersfield at 1136. The wreckage was discovered by pilots of an U.S. Customs service helicopter that was soundbound through the area at 1650. The pilot reported that the weather in the area was "improving rapidly" and that he had a 1,500- to 2,000-foot ceiling over Gorman with unrestricted visibility, so he decided to fly directly southbound over the Gorman VORTAC. As he approached the VORTAC one of his passengers observed the aircraft wreckage on the hillside below. The customs pilot landed his helicopter and determined that it was a recent accident. The surface winds were about 20 knots. He also reported that he had flown northbound through the area that morning about 1000, and the conditions were so low that he opted to climb through a hole in the clouds and fly VFR on top. The owner of the property lives in a home atop the mountain about 250 feet above where the accident occurred and is employed as a corporate pilot. He was at home on the day of the accident and reported that the mountain was "zero-zero" in clouds all day until about 1600 when conditions started to improve. Earlier in the day his wife drove down the mountain to interstate highway 5 below and reported that conditions were foggy all the way down into the town of Gorman which is about 500 feet lower. Winds were flowing 20 to 40 knots from the north. He did not hear the plane crash and learned about the accident when a U.S. Customs s ervice pilot came to his house about 1700 and told him there was a crashed plane on the mountainside below. (.4)the accident site is in a mountain valley between the departure and destination airports. A ground witness observed the aircraft flying about 400 feet above ground level, in and out of the cloud bases beneath an overcast ceiling, up the valley toward higher terrain. A resident who lives directly above the accident site reported that the mountainside where the aircraft wreckage was later located was obscured in clouds at the time of the accident. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions were found during examination of the wreckage. (-23)enroute from bfl to ccb, aircraft crashed into mountain at 4700 ft level approximately 1/8 mile from Gorman VOR. Home owners (alos pilots) who live several hundred feet from crash site reported weather was zero visibility around time of accidnet. No flight plan or weather brief was obtained through FAA services by pilot. Hightway patrol officer reported aircraft similar to crash plan flying in and out of clouds at 400 AGL in Gorman are a around time of accident. Pilot was not rated for instrument conditions.