19990802010609A

Acft crashed on take-off under unknown circumstances and was destroyed, the pilot/sole occupant suffered fatal injuries. (.19) on August 2, 1999, approximately 1332 hours pacific daylight time, a porterfield CP-65, N32409, lost control and collided with terrain while on approach to runway 9 at the Valley Vista Airport, johnson valley, California. The aircraft, owned and operated by the pilot, was destroyed. The private pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91 and originated at the tehachapi, California, airport, at an unspecified time, and was en route to brownwood, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed, nor were any ATC services provided. The airport manager reported that when he arrived at the airport the accident aircraft was parked on the ramp. He reported that the pilot informed him that he had noticed a drop in oil pressure on his flight and had landed and "fixed the problem." The pilot asked for oil and the airport manager gave him 6 quarts of automotive oil, viscosity 10W30. The manager reported that he saw the pilot pour 3 quarts of oil into the oil tank and put the additional 3 quarts of oil in the back of the aircraft cockpit. The airport manager reported that he hand-propped the aircraft. He stated that it fired right up with no apparent difficulties. He reported that after the pilot took off he noticed dark smoke coming from the exhaust. The manager stated that the aircraft looked like it was having trouble climbing. He reported that the aircraft completed a crosswind and downwind leg and appeared to be headed back toward the airport. He stated that as the aircraft turned from base to final about 300 feet, it stalled, turned 180 degrees, and impacted the ground in a near-vertical nose-down attitude. The aircraft came to rest inverted. An on-site examination of the wreckage was conducted. The aircraft was located approximately 203 yards from the approach end of runway 9 in an area of flat desert terrain, surrounded by low scrub bushes approximately 3 to 7 feet high. The left and right wingtips, nose, and tail had impacted the bushes; none of the bushes displayed any signs of limb breakage or disturbance. All components were located in the immediate vicinity of the aircraft. There was no evidence of ground scarring or terrain dist turbance around the aircraft. There was no indication of postcrash fire. One of the wooden propeller blades was splintered and was missing approximately 15 inches of the blade, as measured from the spinner to the blade tip. The blade tip and splintered fragments of the blade were located in a bush adjacent to the center section of the aircraft. Both propeller blades displayed chordwise striations from the spinner to the tips. Both wings exhibited symmetrical aft accordion crushing damage from the leading edge toward the trailing edge. The wing supports, landing gear struts, and wheel structures were intact. There were streaks of oil underneath the engine outward to the left wing and wheel pants. The tail section from approximately mid-fuselage back to the tail control surfaces was intact and evidenced no deformation. There was approximately 1/4 ounce of fuel found in the main fuel line that extends between the carburetor and gascolator. (.4)the airstrip manager arrived at the airstrip and found the aircraft parked on the ramp. The pilot informed him that he had noticed a drop in oil pressure during his flight and had landed and 'fixed the problem.' The pilot asked for oil and the airport manager gave him 6 quarts of automotive oil. The manager saw the pilot pour 3 quarts of oil into the oil tank and put the additional 3 quarts of oil in the back of the aircraft cockpit. He hand-propped the aircraft and the engine fired immediately with no apparent difficulties. After the pilot took off, the manager noticed dark smoke coming from the exhaust. The airplane completed a crosswind and downwind traffic pattern leg, and appeared to be headed back toward the airport. The airstrip manager stated that as the airplane turned from base to final about 300 feet AGL, it stalled, entered a 180-degree spin, and impacted the ground in a near vertical, nose down attitude. There were streaks of oil underneath the engine outward to the left wing and wheel pants, and the bottom of the fuselage was covered in oil. The oil line that provides the reading for the oil pressure gauge was found to be split approximately 180 degrees I in circumference at the hose fitting, and was split in two other locations. The hose was a soft, pliable rubber material, and testing revealed that it was pressure-rated at 10 PSI. Oil is pumped through the line about 40 to 45 PSI during normal operations. The oil pressure hose fitting on the engine was not equipped with a restricted orifice to prevent the escape of fluid in case of line failure as required by regulation.