20030123001359A

(.19) On January 23, 2003, at 1653 pacific standard time, a Cirrus sr 20, N893MK, collided with power lines near san jose, California. The private pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91. The airplane was destroyed. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The personal cross-country flight departed napa county airport (apc), napa, California, at an undetermined time en route to reid-hillview airport of santa clara county (rhv), san jose, California. Day instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The primary wreckage was located at 37 degrees 16 minutes north latitude and 121 degrees 43 minutes west longitude. The accident airplane was using the RNAV (GPS) runway 31R approach to rhv. Review of recorded radar data revealed that while inside the final approach fix (faf) oznum, approximately 6 miles from rhv, the airplane made a gradual descending right turn from a heading of 310 degrees to a heading of 020 degrees. The airplane collided with high tension power lines, located 6.7 miles southeast of rhv at an altitude of 1,600 feet MSL. The first identified point ofcontact (ipc) was the west side static line approximately 100 feet south of the pacific gas and electric (pg&e) high tension power line tower number 130. The second identified point of contact was the pair of 500 kv power lines located on the east side of the pg&e tower number 130. One of the power lines was found lying on the ground adjacent to tower number 130, and had pieces of fiberglass imbedded in a broken bracket, which is used to suspend the power lines from the tower. Approximately 6 feet north of the broken bracket were witness marks on the wire that appeared to be at a 45-degree cut into the power line. The power lines are approximately 2 inches across. In the area of the ipc, the outboard section of the left wing was found in a tree approximately 160 feet northeast of the ipc. The left wing section displayed evidence of charring. On the left wing section approximately 3 feet inboard from the wing tip, there was a semicircular depression approximately 2 inches across. The terrain at the accident site was mountainous. The airplane came to rest approximately 650 feet on a bearing of 032 degrees from the ipc. The accident site was located at the bottom of a ravine. The airplane came to rest on a magnetic heading of 056 degrees at an almost level attitude on the upslope side of a 45-degree slope. All of the airplane's flight control surfaces were found at the accident site. The rudder, elevators, and horizontal stabilizer assemblies were found attached to the empennage. All control surfaces and their associated mass balance weights were accounted for in the debris field. No evidence of a preimpact in-flight separation of components was noted. The accident airplane was equipped with an emergency ballistic parachute system. The ballistic parachute system had not been deployed. The airplane was found with the safety pin, which is used to prevent inadvertent deployment, still in place. The safety pin had a tag attached to it that is red in color with white lettering and read, "safety pin remove before flight." The pilot was found in the wreckage with his lap belt and shoulder harness secured about him. Both airplane doors were found detached from the aircraft with the door releases in the stowed position. The pins on both doors were bent. A review of recorded air-to-ground communications tapes and radar data obtained from the federal aviation administration (FAA), northern California terminal radar approach control facility (nct), showed the accident airplane established on the final approach for runway 31R at rhv at 2,100 feet MSL. At 6 miles from rhv, the airplane started a gradual right turn and began to descend. The airplane continued to descend until radar contact was lost. According to weather information provided by the rhv tower, the visibility was 4 statue miles, ceiling was 1,200 broken; 8,000 overcast; temperature 60 degrees fahrenheit; dew point 59 degrees fahrenheit; and altimeter 30.24 inhg. (-23) during an IFR GPS approach to krhv the pilot/owner of N893MK, a Cirrus sr 20, veered off course and entered a descending right hand turn that terminated by impacting a utility power line and the ground. Weather was reported to be 1200 broken, 8000 ft overcast. The impact area was about 1600 ft MSL, in rolling hills terrain. The path of travel identified from transcripts from air traffic radar data combined with ATC audio recordings seem to indicate a correlation of ATC communications and the change of direction. No obvious causal factors exist, but it appears that the pilot was distracte d with radio frequency management and did not notice the departure from the approach path. The timing of ATC communications and radar position show that the pilot clearly thought he was still on the approach when he reported his last position, but was already off course. It is note worthy to identify that the Cirrus does not use a standard control wheel. The cockpit configuration may have contributed to the aircraft changing course, as a pilot leans or concentrates on the center stack avionics, and is not diligent in maintaining a wings level condition.