20131226025149A

On December 26, 2013, timothy l. farmer (72 years old) departed the tehachapi mountain valley airport (L94) with one passenger (8 years old), in a Cessna 172K (N251JM), with the intention of landing at the Fresno Chandler Executive Airport (kfch). Mr. Farmer utilized the bakersfield and Fresno approach control services for flight following and at approximately 10 miles from kfch was terminated from flight following at which point the pilot informed Fresno approach that he had the airport in sight. The airport was reporting between 4 and 5 miles of visibility in haze, no clouds, with light and variable winds, in night conditions. The pilot was not able to get the mode c transponder to display altitude so we are unable to determine the aircraft?s altitude from the air traffic control track of the airplane. The fch airport?s beacon and airport runway, threshold, PAPI, and taxi lights were all operational at the airport. The pilot approached the Chandler airport from the frame intersection (10 miles se of fch) and proceeded south of the airport to enter a left traffic pattern for runway 30. The pilot made three attempts to land the aircraft. On the first attempt the pilot may have made a hard landing on runway 30 about half way down the runway before executing a go-around procedure, (as witnessed by a pilot on the airport, and airport surveillence footage). On the go-around procedure the pilot climbed the aircraft and made what appears to be a left ninety degree turn, followed by a right two hundred seventy degree turn for runway 12. It does not appear that the airplane was able to land on this attempt because of excess speed and again executed a go-around, (again information gained from a pilot eye witness and airport surveillence footage). The pilot again made a climb followed by a left ninety degree turn then a right two hundred seventy degree turn to final on runway 30. The pilot established the aircraft slightly right of centerline on a low approach to runway 30. The aircraft struck about 8 feet below the top of a 63.7 foot tall tree approximately 1400 feet east of the displaced threshold and 15 feet right of centerline. Numerous tree branches were found in the yard beneath the tree and neighboring road in a trajectory toward the runway. The tree branches ranged in diameter from fractions of an inch up to two inches. The aircraft sustained an unknown amount of damage, but the left wing tip, portions of the left wing?s landing light, and a large amount of paint flakes (found with the tree branches) suggest substantial damage to the wing. The pilot, based on witness testimony from the resident of the home where the tree was struck, applied power after striking the tree and attempted a third go-around. On the upwind climb, and at approximately 600 feet, the aircraft stalled and went into a left turning spiral (surveillence footage). The aircraft impacted the ground in a near vertical nose low descent killing both occupants on impact. The aircraft engine was running and producing power according to witness testimony and is consistent with the damage to the propeller. A post impact fire consumed much of the aircraft fuselage and a portion of the right wing.