What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
11/25/15 ? Inspector ali sadri received notification via FAA daily alert bulletin regarding resident reporting an airplane part had fallen in their backyard. Part was described as an "emergency hatch" and had been taken by the city of Orange police department (pd) to the evidence / property storage area at Orange pd headquarters. Contacted Orange pd at 714-744-7395 and confirmed part was at the evidence / property storage area at Orange pd, ref: Orange pd case # 15-110873. Requested access to part and/or photos of part; was advised access to part would have to be cleared with reporting officer (officer a. rocha); left message for officer a. rocha. Confirmed location of resident's house to be at privacy data omitted, privacy data omitted, which is approximately a 9 NM final for runway 20R at john wayne airport (sna). Contacted resident of house, privacy data omitted. privacy data omitted Advised us that she had discovered the part when she returned home on 11/24/15 at approximately 16:00 local; according to privacy data omitted, nobody was home at the time the part had fallen, the part had damaged her roof, and there were no injuries to anyone on the ground. privacy data omitted Had been gone from the house for approximately seven hours, and estimated part fell on her roof sometime between 0900 and 1600 local time on 11/24/15.
11/25/15 - 11/30/15 - Officer a. rocha attempted to e-mail photos of part to inspector sadri, but due to e-mail attachment size limits none of the photos came through the e-mail system.
12/1/15 ? Inspector sadri obtained approval from Orange pd to get access to part. Visited Orange pd headquarters and examined and obtained pictures of part. Part appeared to be from older style Cessna 300- or 400- series aircraft.
12/2/15 - Inspector sadri performed search using webtrak and determined most likely source of part was N491RM. Contacted sna tie-down office and obtained contact phone number for registered owner of N491RM. Left voice mail message for owner of N491RM and requested call-back.
12/16/15 - Inspector sadri confirmed via telephone with owner of aircraft privacy data omitted that part fell off N491RM during a flight on 11/24/15 from ont to sna. Inspector sadri briefed airworthiness inspectors rafferty (jmr) and kendrick (srk) on findings to date. Per flm instruction, incident investigation has been transferred to jmr and srk for additional follow-up.
12/17/15- 1030 Inspector rafferty and kendrick went to the city of Orange police department property room to view and take photos of the emergency door that had been lost in flight.
12/17/15- 1050 Inspectors kendrick & rafferty contacted PIC privacy data omitted about access to aircraft and log books.
12/17/15- 1600 Inspectors kendrick & rafferty received email from PIC that the aircraft and logbooks would be available on 12/18 in the morning for access to view.
12/18/15- 0800 Inspectors kendrick & rafferty arrived at sna, tie-down space #606 and met with privacy data omitted the owner & privacy data omitted of N491RM, and his maintenance provider(a&p/ia), privacy data omitted at the aircraft. The a/c was uncovered by the owner and mechanic and main cabin door opened for cabin access. Inspectors kendrick & rafferty inspected the fuselage area where the escape exit was missing and took photographs.
It was noted and photographed that the d-ring release for the escape was uncovered, not stowed, and dangling from the cabin wall just below where the emergency exit was once installed. No visible damage around the structure and fuselage opening where the emergency exit normally fits was noted. A remnant of a light sealant material similar in texture and appearance to common rtv sealant was present around the entire perimeter of the fuselage emergency exit opening. Mr. Scord explained that the sealant is there as rain seal and to quiet whistling from air flow across the exit when in flight.
As the FAA filed it
11/25/15 ? INSPECTOR ALI SADRI RECEIVED NOTIFICATION VIA FAA DAILY ALERT BULLETIN REGARDING RESIDENT REPORTING AN AIRPLANE PART HAD FALLEN IN THEIR BACKYARD. PART WAS DESCRIBED AS AN "EMERGENCY HATCH" AND HAD BEEN TAKEN BY THE CITY OF ORANGE POLICE DEPARTMENT (PD) TO THE EVIDENCE / PROPERTY STORAGE AREA AT ORANGE PD HEADQUARTERS. CONTACTED ORANGE PD AT 714-744-7395 AND CONFIRMED PART WAS AT THE EVIDENCE / PROPERTY STORAGE AREA AT ORANGE PD, REF: ORANGE PD CASE # 15-110873. REQUESTED ACCESS TO PART AND/OR PHOTOS OF PART; WAS ADVISED ACCESS TO PART WOULD HAVE TO BE CLEARED WITH REPORTING OFFICER (OFFICER A. ROCHA); LEFT MESSAGE FOR OFFICER A. ROCHA. CONFIRMED LOCATION OF RESIDENT'S HOUSE TO BE AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY A 9 NM FINAL FOR RUNWAY 20R AT JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT (SNA). CONTACTED RESIDENT OF HOUSE, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ADVISED US THAT SHE HAD DISCOVERED THE PART WHEN SHE RETURNED HOME ON 11/24/15 AT APPROXIMATELY 16:00 LOCAL; ACCORDING TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, NOBODY WAS HOME AT THE TIME THE PART HAD FALLEN, THE PART HAD DAMAGED HER ROOF, AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO ANYONE ON THE GROUND. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HAD BEEN GONE FROM THE HOUSE FOR APPROXIMATELY SEVEN HOURS, AND ESTIMATED PART FELL ON HER ROOF SOMETIME BETWEEN 0900 AND 1600 LOCAL TIME ON 11/24/15.
11/25/15 - 11/30/15 - OFFICER A. ROCHA ATTEMPTED TO E-MAIL PHOTOS OF PART TO INSPECTOR SADRI, BUT DUE TO E-MAIL ATTACHMENT SIZE LIMITS NONE OF THE PHOTOS CAME THROUGH THE E-MAIL SYSTEM.
12/1/15 ? INSPECTOR SADRI OBTAINED APPROVAL FROM ORANGE PD TO GET ACCESS TO PART. VISITED ORANGE PD HEADQUARTERS AND EXAMINED AND OBTAINED PICTURES OF PART. PART APPEARED TO BE FROM OLDER STYLE CESSNA 300- OR 400- SERIES AIRCRAFT.
12/2/15 - INSPECTOR SADRI PERFORMED SEARCH USING WEBTRAK AND DETERMINED MOST LIKELY SOURCE OF PART WAS N491RM. CONTACTED SNA TIE-DOWN OFFICE AND OBTAINED CONTACT PHONE NUMBER FOR REGISTERED OWNER OF N491RM. LEFT VOICE MAIL MESSAGE FOR OWNER OF N491RM AND REQUESTED CALL-BACK.
12/16/15 - INSPECTOR SADRI CONFIRMED VIA TELEPHONE WITH OWNER OF AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THAT PART FELL OFF N491RM DURING A FLIGHT ON 11/24/15 FROM ONT TO SNA. INSPECTOR SADRI BRIEFED AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTORS RAFFERTY (JMR) AND KENDRICK (SRK) ON FINDINGS TO DATE. PER FLM INSTRUCTION, INCIDENT INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN TRANSFERRED TO JMR AND SRK FOR ADDITIONAL FOLLOW-UP.
12/17/15- 1030 INSPECTOR RAFFERTY AND KENDRICK WENT TO THE CITY OF ORANGE POLICE DEPARTMENT PROPERTY ROOM TO VIEW AND TAKE PHOTOS OF THE EMERGENCY DOOR THAT HAD BEEN LOST IN FLIGHT.
12/17/15- 1050 INSPECTORS KENDRICK & RAFFERTY CONTACTED PIC ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ABOUT ACCESS TO AIRCRAFT AND LOG BOOKS.
12/17/15- 1600 INSPECTORS KENDRICK & RAFFERTY RECEIVED EMAIL FROM PIC THAT THE AIRCRAFT AND LOGBOOKS WOULD BE AVAILABLE ON 12/18 IN THE MORNING FOR ACCESS TO VIEW.
12/18/15- 0800 INSPECTORS KENDRICK & RAFFERTY ARRIVED AT SNA, TIE-DOWN SPACE #606 AND MET WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THE OWNER & ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OF N491RM, AND HIS MAINTENANCE PROVIDER(A&P/IA), ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AT THE AIRCRAFT. THE A/C WAS UNCOVERED BY THE OWNER AND MECHANIC AND MAIN CABIN DOOR OPENED FOR CABIN ACCESS. INSPECTORS KENDRICK & RAFFERTY INSPECTED THE FUSELAGE AREA WHERE THE ESCAPE EXIT WAS MISSING AND TOOK PHOTOGRAPHS.
IT WAS NOTED AND PHOTOGRAPHED THAT THE D-RING RELEASE FOR THE ESCAPE WAS UNCOVERED, NOT STOWED, AND DANGLING FROM THE CABIN WALL JUST BELOW WHERE THE EMERGENCY EXIT WAS ONCE INSTALLED. NO VISIBLE DAMAGE AROUND THE STRUCTURE AND FUSELAGE OPENING WHERE THE EMERGENCY EXIT NORMALLY FITS WAS NOTED. A REMNANT OF A LIGHT SEALANT MATERIAL SIMILAR IN TEXTURE AND APPEARANCE TO COMMON RTV SEALANT WAS PRESENT AROUND THE ENTIRE PERIMETER OF THE FUSELAGE EMERGENCY EXIT OPENING. MR. SCORD EXPLAINED THAT THE SEALANT IS THERE AS RAIN SEAL AND TO QUIET WHISTLING FROM AIR FLOW ACROSS THE EXIT WHEN IN FLIGHT.