19990902026179A

(.19) On September 2, 1999, between 1138 and 1245 hours pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20D, N6831U, owned and operated by the pilot, descended into mountainous terrain about 10 nautical miles east-northeast of Bear Valley, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed during the personal flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91. The airplane was destroyed, and the commercial pilot was fatally injured. The flight originated from corona, California, between 0930 and 1000. Family members reported that the pilot planned to fly from the uncontrolled corona municipal airport, where the airplane was based, to the fallon, Nevada, municipal airport in order to attend a wedding. The pilot's departure time was approximated and was based, in part, upon the pilot's receipt of a weather briefing at 0847 from the federal aviation administration (FAA), and a fuel receipt time stamped 0915. The pilot's route of flight was not determined, and no FAA en route services were provided to the pilot. Family members reported that the pilot planned to fly from the uncontrolled corona municipal airport, where the airplane was base d, to the fallon, Nevada, municipal airport in order to attend a wedding. The pilot's departure time was approximated and was based, in part, upon the pilot's receipt of a weather briefing at 0847 from the federal aviation administration (FAA), and a fuel receipt time stamped 0915. The pilot's route of flight was not determined, and no FAA en route services were provided to the pilot. On September 4, 1999, the civil air patrol located the accident site in the sierra Nevada mountains, about 80 NM south-southwest of fallon. The national transportation safety board's on-scene investigation revealed the airplane impacted estimated 10-degree upsloping terrain at an elevation of about 9,200 feet mean sea level. The accident site GPS coordinates are 38 degrees 27.27 minutes north latitude, by 119 degrees 49.39 minutes west longitude. The entire airplane was found in a near vertical nose down pitch attitude in a 3- to 6-inch deep impact crater in the rocky terrain. No evidence was located of any other (secondary) crater or tree/ground impact signature. The landing gear and flaps were observed in the retracted position. The leading edges of both wings were observed symmetrically acc ordioned in an aft direction, with the compressive buckling extending from the leading to trailing edges. The crush line appeared to be nearly perpendicular to the wing chord. An odor of fuel was noted in the ground beneath the wreckage. The propeller was observed torsionally deformed, leading edge gouged, scratched in a chordwise direction, and devoid of both blade tips. There was no evidence of fire or a preimpact oil leak. Mooney aircraft company personnel reported that the airplane was manufactured in 1963. Its manufacture predated factory installation of the "positive control system.(-23) on 9/02/99 approx. 1200 hrs. PDT, this airplane crashed into a remote mountainous area about 10 NM e-ne of Bear Valley, CA. The a/c impacted near level rock terrain, approx. 9,200 feet MSL, in a near vertical nose down attitude. The pilot, age 78, was fatally injured and the airplane was destroyed. The flight was VFR enroute from corona, CA to fallon, NV. No flight plan was filed and VMC prevailed. All parts of the a/c were found in the 6 inch deep impact crater. The ELT was destroyed and no signal was received. The crash site was located by the cap. Flight controls continuity appeared intact. Evidence of fuel was found in the ground beneath the wreckage and the propeller blade damages show evidence of teh engine being under power at impact. There was no evidence of fire or a preimpact oil leak. Post accident on-scene investigation was conducted by the lax NTSB and the rno FSDO. The paparwork on the pilot and airplane appear satisfactory. An autopsy is being performed to try and find if the pilot was incapacited. (.4) about noon, during a cross-country flight under benign visual meteorological conditions, the pilot lost control of her airplane. It entered an uncontrolled descent and impacted 9,200-foot mean sea level terrain in a nearly vertical nose down attitude. The wreckage was not located for several days. The pilot had about 1,700 total hours of flight time, of which about 1,600 hours were in the accident model of airplane. She was a current pilot. The airplane was not equipped with an autopilot or any wing-leveling device. There were no en route communications between the pilot and any FAA facility. No evidence of any mechanical malfunction with the airframe or engine was noted during the on-scene wreckage examination. The continuity of the a irplane's flight control system was confirmed. Three witnesses who observed the pilot prior to departure indicated that she did not appear physically well. One of the witnesses stated the pilot had a 'flushed' look on her face and bags under her eyes. The second witness reported that the pilot 'did not look normal.' The third witness stated that the pilot 'did not look well.' The toxicological examination revealed the presence of a readily available over-the-counter decongestant in body tissue; however, no blood level for the drug was ascertained. The drug's involvement remains undetermined.