What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 06/01/2017 N3683C a 1954 Cessna 180 originating from santa paula airport (spz) in santa paula California was found fragmented across a mountain near Ventura California. Time of the accident was 11:55 am. An FAA team was dispatched from the van nuys FSDO upon arrival at 1:00PM. The accident site was documented and photographed. The wreckage field started from the top of the mountain on a southwest heading as follows. The fuselage without the engine, wings and tail was found sitting on its belly on the top of the mountain. Progressing down the hill to the southwest, the fragmented left and right wings were located. There were signatures of positive g over load failure of the wing spars and supporting structure. Sections of the wing spar were torn out and still attached to the wing struts. The engine was found on a lower road embedded in the road surface. The horizontal and vertical tail surfaces were found on the next lower road. NTSB arrived and took over the accident site from the FSDO inspector frank motter FAA iic. On 06/02/2017 upon closer inspection of the fuselage engine mount an area of corrosion and a fresh span fracture were noted on the right forward engine mount casting, the corrosion indicated the right forward mount had been cracked for some time along with a fresh cross span material failure of the forward left engine mount. The engine bay fire wall was pulled forward and down by the mixture and throttle control cables during the engine departing the engine bay. The exhaust stacks were sheared off clean. The aft fuselage was bent downward indicating an elevator over load condition from a sudden change in the aircraft center of gravity due to engine separation.
A search was conducted to locate the aircraft maintenance records for N3683C at the owner's hangar. The landlord of the hangar supplied a number of the partner in the aircraft. ^Mr. Cannon^. The partner in the aircraft met with inspector motter and supplied the complete set of log books and records. A review of the maintenance records was completed indicating N3683C was in an airworthy status at the time of the accident. Radar data was reviewed and indicated that there were no other aircraft in the area at the time of N3683C'S break up. Copies of the maintenance records were made and forwarded to the NTSB. The wreckage of N3683C was transported to phoenix AZ. For tear down inspection by the NTSB and will be performed on August 16th and 17th.
As the FAA filed it
ON 06/01/2017 N3683C A 1954 CESSNA 180 ORIGINATING FROM SANTA PAULA AIRPORT (SPZ) IN SANTA PAULA CALIFORNIA WAS FOUND FRAGMENTED ACROSS A MOUNTAIN NEAR VENTURA CALIFORNIA. TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS 11:55 AM. AN FAA TEAM WAS DISPATCHED FROM THE VAN NUYS FSDO UPON ARRIVAL AT 1:00PM. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS DOCUMENTED AND PHOTOGRAPHED. THE WRECKAGE FIELD STARTED FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN ON A SOUTHWEST HEADING AS FOLLOWS. THE FUSELAGE WITHOUT THE ENGINE, WINGS AND TAIL WAS FOUND SITTING ON ITS BELLY ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN. PROGRESSING DOWN THE HILL TO THE SOUTHWEST, THE FRAGMENTED LEFT AND RIGHT WINGS WERE LOCATED. THERE WERE SIGNATURES OF POSITIVE G OVER LOAD FAILURE OF THE WING SPARS AND SUPPORTING STRUCTURE. SECTIONS OF THE WING SPAR WERE TORN OUT AND STILL ATTACHED TO THE WING STRUTS. THE ENGINE WAS FOUND ON A LOWER ROAD EMBEDDED IN THE ROAD SURFACE. THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL TAIL SURFACES WERE FOUND ON THE NEXT LOWER ROAD. NTSB ARRIVED AND TOOK OVER THE ACCIDENT SITE FROM THE FSDO INSPECTOR FRANK MOTTER FAA IIC. ON 06/02/2017 UPON CLOSER INSPECTION OF THE FUSELAGE ENGINE MOUNT AN AREA OF CORROSION AND A FRESH SPAN FRACTURE WERE NOTED ON THE RIGHT FORWARD ENGINE MOUNT CASTING, THE CORROSION INDICATED THE RIGHT FORWARD MOUNT HAD BEEN CRACKED FOR SOME TIME ALONG WITH A FRESH CROSS SPAN MATERIAL FAILURE OF THE FORWARD LEFT ENGINE MOUNT. THE ENGINE BAY FIRE WALL WAS PULLED FORWARD AND DOWN BY THE MIXTURE AND THROTTLE CONTROL CABLES DURING THE ENGINE DEPARTING THE ENGINE BAY. THE EXHAUST STACKS WERE SHEARED OFF CLEAN. THE AFT FUSELAGE WAS BENT DOWNWARD INDICATING AN ELEVATOR OVER LOAD CONDITION FROM A SUDDEN CHANGE IN THE AIRCRAFT CENTER OF GRAVITY DUE TO ENGINE SEPARATION.
A SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED TO LOCATE THE AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE RECORDS FOR N3683C AT THE OWNER'S HANGAR. THE LANDLORD OF THE HANGAR SUPPLIED A NUMBER OF THE PARTNER IN THE AIRCRAFT. ^MR. CANNON^. THE PARTNER IN THE AIRCRAFT MET WITH INSPECTOR MOTTER AND SUPPLIED THE COMPLETE SET OF LOG BOOKS AND RECORDS. A REVIEW OF THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS WAS COMPLETED INDICATING N3683C WAS IN AN AIRWORTHY STATUS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. RADAR DATA WAS REVIEWED AND INDICATED THAT THERE WERE NO OTHER AIRCRAFT IN THE AREA AT THE TIME OF N3683C'S BREAK UP. COPIES OF THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS WERE MADE AND FORWARDED TO THE NTSB. THE WRECKAGE OF N3683C WAS TRANSPORTED TO PHOENIX AZ. FOR TEAR DOWN INSPECTION BY THE NTSB AND WILL BE PERFORMED ON AUGUST 16TH AND 17TH.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N3683C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.