20020607012299A

(.19) On June 7, 2002, about 1010 pacific daylight time, a Grumman america n AA-5B, N13GT, collided with terrain during the climb to cruise after departing from Santa Paula (szp), California. The commercial pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91. The pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. The personal cross-country flight departed Santa paul about 1000 en route to laughlin/bullhead international airport, bullhead city, Arizona. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The primary wreckage was at 34 degrees 19.9 minutes north latitude and 119 degrees 01.29 minutes west longitude. A witness familiar with the pilot and the airplane observed the airplane during the takeoff roll. The airplane departed runway 22 and began a left crosswind turn at an estimated altitude of 300 feet. The airplane continued the left turn to downwind, and the witness became concerned because the airplane was close to the mountains. He had never seen this pilot fly this close to the mountains. The witness lost sight of the airplanes due to clouds. The witness reacquired the airplane for a fewseconds when it was abeam the west end of the airport. He could see that the airplane was maintaining a high climb angle, but he became very concerned because the airplane was now even closer to the mountains. The airplane appeared to be angling towards the mountains. He could not see the mountaintops, but he could see a patch of blue sky ahead of the airplane over the mountains. About 1100, an employee of the property owner observed the wreckage and reported it to the safety board. The airplane collided with a 55-degree slope about 200 feet below the crest of a ridgeline that ran in a northeast-southwest direction. The main wreckage was approximately 50 feet downhill from the principal impact crater (PIC), which was the first identified point of contact. The PIC had straight ground scars on its left and right sides, which angled a few degrees down to the right from the horizon. There was continuity of the flight controls and both propeller blades exhibited s-bends and leading edge gouges. Investigators removed and examined the top spark plugs, whose condition corresponded to normal operation according to the champion aviation check-a-plug AV-27 chart. They manually rotated the engine, and obtained thumb compression on all cylinders in sequence. All valves moved in sequence and exhibited a similar amount of lift. They manually rotated the magnetos, and both magnetos produced spark at all posts. The carburetor was damaged. The oil screens and fuel screens were clean. (-23) Grumman tiger N13GT, departed Santa Paula Airport on a title 14 CFR 91 flight at 10:00 am on Friday 06/07/2002. The weather at the time of departure was reported by pilots and mechanics on the airport as "being below pattern altitude using a local hill for reference." N13GT performed a normal takeoff and was seen on a left down wind departure before entering the weather. A short time later N13GT impacted south mountain three miles east of Santa Paula Airport.