What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
1858 PST (0258Z): N9362P, PA-24-260 was lost from radar while on approach to sts. The aircraft wreckage was found in a muddy field approx. 1.9 miles and 1800' right of the approach end for rwy 32.
Weather conditions at sts were deteriorating at the time of the accident:
0253Z OVC009, SCT004, vis 2 1/2
0300Z OVC004, vis 2 1/2
All four corners of the aircraft were accounted for. Shattered pieces of the left wing red navigation light lens were found at the initial impact location with debris from the wing tip. The impact left a 24 x 10 scar 3 inches deep. Thirty-one feet northwest, on a 306 degree heading from the initial impact, the engine and fuselage impact produced a large (16'X6') depression. The main wreckage came to rest 133' from the initial impact location on a 297 degree heading with a debris field scattered across several hundred feet in a 45 degree arc. The nose wheel assembly was located approximately 260 from the initial impact, over a fence and under a metal frame near the residences play yard.
Portions of the left wing came to rest in a debris path about 40 feet south of the main wreckage. The left wing main and auxiliary fuel tank bladders were breached and contained no fuel. A section of the left wing, which included the flap and a segment of the left aileron, was folded back underneath the fuselage and empennage. The remaining inboard section of the left wing displayed substantial impact damage and was found still partially attached to the fuselage. The landing gear was in the retracted position however the position of the landing gear cables was consistent with the gear being extended at the time of impact.
The right wing was intact and partially attached to the fuselage but displayed substantial impact damage. The aileron and flap were impact damaged but attached to the wing. The landing gear was extended. Both fuel tanks were intact however the fuel selector valve had been separated leaving both supply lines open. The main tank cap was in place and secure but was empty. The auxiliary tank cap was secure and the tank contained an unmeasured amount of fuel but appeared to be over of its 15 gallon capacity. The blue colored fuel had an odor consistent with 100LL aviation gasoline. The fuel selector was found with all lines severed and the selector stuck in the left tank position.
The stabilator was intact and secure at both hinge points. The stop bolts were in place and displayed no damage. Compression wrinkling and skin deformation, consistent with the impact, was noted along the left and right leading edges of the stabilator. The stabilator pitch trim jackscrew inner shaft top extension was about .35 inches, consistent with a neutral pitch trim setting. The vertical stabilizer displayed some vertical crush damage at the top, but was secure to the fuselage. Rudder was in place and secure at all hinge points
Propeller rotational evidence is minimal. Tips were not curled but showed impact damage. The propeller was in place and secure to the engine. Both blades were secure in the hub. One blade was free to rotate and was near the feather or flat position. The outboard span of the blade showed s bending and was twisted toward low pitch. The leading edge of the blade displayed numerous nicks, cuts, dents as well as chord wise scratches and gouges.
Air traffic audio and radar show the airman had difficulty staying on localizer. The wreckage was found 1.9 miles from sts rwy 32 and 1800' right of the centerline.
Air traffic audio files show a discrepancy between the altitude reported by the airman and the altitude reported by the transponder. An error of 300 to 500 feet was recorded at several altitudes.
Several electrical components, including an engine analyzer and navigation instruments were retained by the NTSB for additional analysis.
Further amendment to this accident will be added when logbooks and inst analysis is available.
As the FAA filed it
1858 PST (0258Z): N9362P, PA-24-260 WAS LOST FROM RADAR WHILE ON APPROACH TO STS. THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE WAS FOUND IN A MUDDY FIELD APPROX. 1.9 MILES AND 1800' RIGHT OF THE APPROACH END FOR RWY 32.
WEATHER CONDITIONS AT STS WERE DETERIORATING AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT:
0253Z OVC009, SCT004, VIS 2 1/2
0300Z OVC004, VIS 2 1/2
ALL FOUR CORNERS OF THE AIRCRAFT WERE ACCOUNTED FOR. SHATTERED PIECES OF THE LEFT WING RED NAVIGATION LIGHT LENS WERE FOUND AT THE INITIAL IMPACT LOCATION WITH DEBRIS FROM THE WING TIP. THE IMPACT LEFT A 24 X 10 SCAR 3 INCHES DEEP. THIRTY-ONE FEET NORTHWEST, ON A 306 DEGREE HEADING FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT, THE ENGINE AND FUSELAGE IMPACT PRODUCED A LARGE (16'X6') DEPRESSION. THE MAIN WRECKAGE CAME TO REST 133' FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT LOCATION ON A 297 DEGREE HEADING WITH A DEBRIS FIELD SCATTERED ACROSS SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET IN A 45 DEGREE ARC. THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 260 FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT, OVER A FENCE AND UNDER A METAL FRAME NEAR THE RESIDENCES PLAY YARD.
PORTIONS OF THE LEFT WING CAME TO REST IN A DEBRIS PATH ABOUT 40 FEET SOUTH OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THE LEFT WING MAIN AND AUXILIARY FUEL TANK BLADDERS WERE BREACHED AND CONTAINED NO FUEL. A SECTION OF THE LEFT WING, WHICH INCLUDED THE FLAP AND A SEGMENT OF THE LEFT AILERON, WAS FOLDED BACK UNDERNEATH THE FUSELAGE AND EMPENNAGE. THE REMAINING INBOARD SECTION OF THE LEFT WING DISPLAYED SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT DAMAGE AND WAS FOUND STILL PARTIALLY ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE. THE LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE RETRACTED POSITION HOWEVER THE POSITION OF THE LANDING GEAR CABLES WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE GEAR BEING EXTENDED AT THE TIME OF IMPACT.
THE RIGHT WING WAS INTACT AND PARTIALLY ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE BUT DISPLAYED SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT DAMAGE. THE AILERON AND FLAP WERE IMPACT DAMAGED BUT ATTACHED TO THE WING. THE LANDING GEAR WAS EXTENDED. BOTH FUEL TANKS WERE INTACT HOWEVER THE FUEL SELECTOR VALVE HAD BEEN SEPARATED LEAVING BOTH SUPPLY LINES OPEN. THE MAIN TANK CAP WAS IN PLACE AND SECURE BUT WAS EMPTY. THE AUXILIARY TANK CAP WAS SECURE AND THE TANK CONTAINED AN UNMEASURED AMOUNT OF FUEL BUT APPEARED TO BE OVER OF ITS 15 GALLON CAPACITY. THE BLUE COLORED FUEL HAD AN ODOR CONSISTENT WITH 100LL AVIATION GASOLINE. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND WITH ALL LINES SEVERED AND THE SELECTOR STUCK IN THE LEFT TANK POSITION.
THE STABILATOR WAS INTACT AND SECURE AT BOTH HINGE POINTS. THE STOP BOLTS WERE IN PLACE AND DISPLAYED NO DAMAGE. COMPRESSION WRINKLING AND SKIN DEFORMATION, CONSISTENT WITH THE IMPACT, WAS NOTED ALONG THE LEFT AND RIGHT LEADING EDGES OF THE STABILATOR. THE STABILATOR PITCH TRIM JACKSCREW INNER SHAFT TOP EXTENSION WAS ABOUT .35 INCHES, CONSISTENT WITH A NEUTRAL PITCH TRIM SETTING. THE VERTICAL STABILIZER DISPLAYED SOME VERTICAL CRUSH DAMAGE AT THE TOP, BUT WAS SECURE TO THE FUSELAGE. RUDDER WAS IN PLACE AND SECURE AT ALL HINGE POINTS
PROPELLER ROTATIONAL EVIDENCE IS MINIMAL. TIPS WERE NOT CURLED BUT SHOWED IMPACT DAMAGE. THE PROPELLER WAS IN PLACE AND SECURE TO THE ENGINE. BOTH BLADES WERE SECURE IN THE HUB. ONE BLADE WAS FREE TO ROTATE AND WAS NEAR THE FEATHER OR FLAT POSITION. THE OUTBOARD SPAN OF THE BLADE SHOWED S BENDING AND WAS TWISTED TOWARD LOW PITCH. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE BLADE DISPLAYED NUMEROUS NICKS, CUTS, DENTS AS WELL AS CHORD WISE SCRATCHES AND GOUGES.
AIR TRAFFIC AUDIO AND RADAR SHOW THE AIRMAN HAD DIFFICULTY STAYING ON LOCALIZER. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND 1.9 MILES FROM STS RWY 32 AND 1800' RIGHT OF THE CENTERLINE.
AIR TRAFFIC AUDIO FILES SHOW A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE ALTITUDE REPORTED BY THE AIRMAN AND THE ALTITUDE REPORTED BY THE TRANSPONDER. AN ERROR OF 300 TO 500 FEET WAS RECORDED AT SEVERAL ALTITUDES.
SEVERAL ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS, INCLUDING AN ENGINE ANALYZER AND NAVIGATION INSTRUMENTS WERE RETAINED BY THE NTSB FOR ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS.
FURTHER AMENDMENT TO THIS ACCIDENT WILL BE ADDED WHEN LOGBOOKS AND INST ANALYSIS IS AVAILABLE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.