20010309003869A

(.19)On March 9, 2001, about 1420 hours PST, a north American navion, N91445, was destroyed when it collided with terrain near Santa Ysabel, California. The private pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The personal cross-country flight departed gillespie field, san diego, California, at 1348, enroute to el centro, California. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed. The primary wreckage was located at 33 degrees 06.525 minutes north latitude and 116 degrees 43.288 minutes west longitude. The GPS elevation was 2,870 feet. Two witnesses observed the airplane. One had been a licensed pilot. A loud engine sound caught their attention. The engine sounded like it was revving to a high RPM. The airplane sounded very low. They heard the sound for 2 to 3 seconds before they saw the airplane. It came out of clouds with the nose pointing down more than 75 degrees. They were looking at the side of the airplane. They did not observe any rotation. They observed the nose of the airplane rise up a few degrees. They thought this was an attempt to pull up out of the dive. The airplane disappeared behind a ridgeline. They heard a muffled thud. The engine sound simultaneously ceased. They did not observe any pieces separate in flight. They could see the tops of two peaks to the southwest. The weather was overcast and misting. A review of the FAA records revealed the pilot held a private pilot certificate. He did not possess an instrument rating. A routine aviation weather report (METAR) was issued for gillespie field at 1347. It stated: skies, overcast at 3,000 feet; winds 230 at 10 knots; temperature 59 degrees fahrenheit; and altimeter 29.96 inhg. A routine weather report (METAR) was issued at 1353 for ramona, CA. It stated: skies, few clouds at 1,200 feet, broken at 1,800 feet, overcast at 3,600 feet; winds 260 degrees at 12 knots; temperature 52 degrees fahrenheit; dew point 48 degrees fahrenheit, altimeter 29.94 inhg. Ramona was on a magnetic bearing of 236 degrees and 10 miles from the accident site. The airport/facility directory, southwest U.S., lists ramona's field elevation at 1,393 feet. The primary debris field occupied an area about 50 feet in diameter. The primary wreckage consisted of the cabin area, fuselage, right wing, and empennage, which remained attached to each other. The primary wreckage was about 5 feet from the principal impact crater. The enigne separated from the airframe. Both propeller blades separated from the hub and exhibited deformation marks along the trailing edge. Investigators found portions of the left wing, left horizontal stabilizer, and left elevator scattered about 50 yards from the primary debris field. The primary debris field was on a magnetic bearing of 260 degrees from the separated pieces. All fracture surfaces for the separated pieces were irregularly shaped. Investigators established control continuity from the empennage and righ airleron bellcrank to the deformed cabin area. The right airleron operating arm buckled, fractured, and separated at the rod end on an oblique plane. The left aileron cable fractured and separated in the cabin area. All fractured cables displayed a broomstraw pattern. Both control yokes fractured in irregular shapes along angular planes. (-23)during a VFR, FAR part 91 flight, the non-instrument rated private pilot inadvertently encountered IMC. The pilot lost control of the a/c and subsequently impacted terrain with a high rate of descent. The a/c was destro yed and the pilot was killed.