20030126001009A

(-23) Airman departed runway 3 from the sdl airport for santa fe, NM. Controlled flight into terrain occurred shortly after takeoff in the mcdowell mountains, located to the NE and e of the airport. (.19) on January 26, 2003, at 2023 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-60-601P, N3636Q, collided with mountainous terrain after takeoff from the Scottsdale, Arizona, airport. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91 of the federal aviation regulations. The airplane was destroyed in the impact and post crash fire sequence. The instrument rated private pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed with unrestricted visibility; however, the moon was not above the horizon. No flight plan was filed for the personal cross-country flight that originated in san diego, California, at 1500 pacific standard time as a flight to santa fe, new Mexico, with a planned stop in Scottsdale. According to a safety board sun and moon location program for the geographic coordinates and altitude of Scottsdale, sunset occurred at 1758 and nautical twilight ended at 1854. At the time of th e accident, the moon was 30 degrees below the northeastern horizon. Information was obtained from the following federal aviation administration facilities: western pacific air traffic quality assurance division, san diego automated flight service station (afss), phoenix terminal radar approach control (phx TRACON), and Scottsdale air traffic control tower (ATCT). The pilot requested and received a preflight weather briefing for the flight from san diego afss and filed an instrument flight rules flight plan from san diego to Scottsdale. According to the facilities who worked the flight, the instrument arrival into Scottsdale was routine and the airplane landed at 1811. Interviews with ground service personnel at the Scottsdale FBO where the airplane was parked revealed that no services were provided. At 2016, the pilot contacted Scottsdale ATCT clearance delivery and requested VFR flight following to santa fe. The controller denied the pilot's request and advised him to contact phoenix TRACON after he was airborne. The pilot contacted ground control at 2017, advising that he was ready to taxi for takeoff, and the flight was cleared to runway 03. At 2020, the pilot advised the local controller that he was ready for takeoff and asked for a right turn. The controller then cleared the flight for takeoff. Numerous ground witnesses living at the base of the mountain where the accident occurred reported hearing the airplane and observing the aircraft's lights. The witnesses reported observations consistent with the airplane beginning a right turn when a large fireball erupted coincident with the airplane's collision with the mountain. The accident site is located in the mcdowell mountain range on the southwest facing slope of a mountain at the 3,780-foot mean sea level (MSL) and about 100 feet below the ridge crest. The slope of the mountain at the site was about 60 degrees, with terrain consisting of large and small rocks of various diameters to 6 feet. Sparse scrub vegetation typical of the Arizona deserts was present widely distributed over the slope. The Scottsdale airport, elevation 1,510 feet MSL, was visible about 5 miles distant on a magnetic bearing of 235 degrees. An initial upsloping ground disturbance about 12 feet wide by 20 feet long was observed on the slope on a southeast line of bearing. This disturbance was characterized as a gouge-like depression in the ground. A median path of disturbed rocks, aircraft debris, and sooted fire residue was distributed over a horizontal distance of about 200 feet, with wreckage components scattered about 30 feet upslope and 100 feet downslope of the median debris field. The farthest piece of wreckage was the right engine, which was found about 300 feet downslope of the debris field. The airplane was extensively fragmented and burned. Examination of the recovered airframe fragments disclosed that the principal vertical and horizontal crush deformation was to the lower fuselage and bottom wing skins.