20100804040869A

PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATED THAT A CIRRUS SR22 REGISTRATION NUMBER N146CK HAD CRASHED DURING AN APPROACH TO LANDING ON RUNWAY 7L AT DEER VALLEY. MILLER AND THE AIRCRAFT HAD CRASHED IN THE PARKING LOT OF A LOCAL PEST CONTROL COMPANY, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND IN THE SOUTH PARKING AREA LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE MAIN BUILDING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONTAINED WITHIN AN AREA APPROXIMATELY 120 FEET IN DIAMETER. WHILE SURVEYING THE ACCIDENT SITE, PHOENIX PD POINTED OUT THAT THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ BUILDING HAD A SURVEILLANCE CAMERA POINTED ALMOST DIRECTLY AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. DURING REVIEW OF THIS VIDEO, THE FIRST FRAME WITH THE AIRCRAFT IN FRAME, SHOWS THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTING THE STEEL GATE AND THE GROUND IN A NOSE DOWN (APPROXIMATELY 45 DEGREES) AND SLIGHTLY LEFT WING LOW (APPROXIMATELY 20 DEGREES) CONFIGURATION. ADDITIONALLY IT WAS OBSERVED THAT THE PILOT SIDE (LEFT) DOOR WAS OPEN APPROXIMATELY 40%. DURING A PHONE CONVERSATION WITH INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ (PRIOR TO HIS ARRIVAL ON SCENE), WE WERE ADVISED THAT THE DEER VALLEY OPERATION CENTER HAD ADDITIONAL VIDEO SURVEILLANCE OF THE AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT. INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I ACQUIRED THIS VIDEO FROM THE DEER VALLEY AIRPORT MANAGER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THIS SURVEILLANCE CAMERA WAS LOCATED 350 YARDS NORTH WEST OF THE END OF RUNWAY 7L. THE VIDEO SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT ENTERING THE FRAME IN A DESCENDING LEFT TURN, QUICKLY GOING BEYOND 90 DEGREES OF LEFT BANK THEN DISAPPEARING BEHIND THE DATE / TIME STAMP AND THEN BEHIND THE BUILDINGS. SHORTLY AFTER THE AIRCRAFT DISAPPEARING BEHIND THE BUILDINGS, A PLUME OF FIRE AND SMOKE COULD BE SEEN IN THE VIDEO.DURING OUR ON SCENE INVESTIGATION, SEVERAL WITNESSES WERE INTERVIEWED. ONE WITNESS, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED TO INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT HE WITNESSED THE AIRCRAFT IN THE LEFT HAND TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 7L AND FELT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. HE STATED THAT HE BELIEVED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT AN UNUSUALLY LOW ALTITUDE AND LOW AIRSPEED. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT START A LEFT TURN FROM BASE TO FINAL AND THEN SAW THE AIRCRAFTS LEFT WING DROP AND ENTER A SPIN. MR. HOWE STATED THAT HE DID NOT SEE ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE ENGINE OR PROPELLER. DURING HIS INTERVIEW, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE IS A PRIVATE PILOT. ON SCENE EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS CONDUCTED BY INSPECTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, CIRRUS REPRESENTATIVE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND TCM REPRESENTATIVE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. DURING THIS EXAMINATION, NO ADVERSE MECHANICAL IRREGULARITY WAS REPORTED BY THESE INVESTIGATORS. UPON COMPLETION OF THE ON SCENE EXAMINATION, THE AIRCRAFT WAS TRANSPORTED BY AIR TRANSPORT (A PHOENIX BASED, SALVAGE / RECOVERY COMPANY) TO ITS FACILITIES LOCATED AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ENGINE WAS CONDUCTED AT THIS FACILITY. NO FINDINGS PARTICULAR TO THE CAUSE OF THIS ACCIDENT WERE IDENTIFIED WITH RESPECT TO THE EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE BY TCM REPRESENTATIVE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFTS LEFT SIDE DOOR BY CIRRUS AIRCRAFT DESIGN REPRESENTATIVE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CONCLUDED THAT BOTH THE UPPER AND LOWER DOOR LATCH INDICATED NORMAL OPERATION OTHER THAN DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THE FIRE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TESTED BOTH THE UPPER AND LOWER LATCH AND FOUND THAT EACH LATCH WAS INITIALLY FOUND IN THE OPEN POSITION BUT WOULD LATCH AND UNLATCH CORRECTLY. A REVIEW OF DEER VALLEY TOWER COMMUNICATIONS INDICATED THAT AT APPROXIMATELY 6:00 AM, N146CK WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 7L. APPROXIMATELY 1 MIN. 10 SEC AFTER DEPARTURE THE PILOT RADIO THAT HE NEEDED TO RETURN TO LAND TO CLOSE A DOOR AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLEARED TO LAND. THREE MINUTES AFTER DEPARTURE A TRANSMISSION WAS MADE WITH NO VOICE. IN THE TRANSMISSION, WIND NOISE COULD BE HEARD THAT MAY HAVE BEEN FROM THE OPEN DOOR. NO OTHER TRANSMISSIONS WERE MADE FROM THE AIRCRAFT.