What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft departed from heber, ut (hcr) on 10/202023 for a planned direct flight to shelter cove, CA (0Q5). Based on radar tracks the aircraft flew over the shelter cove airport and appeared to divert to garberville airport (O16) for unknown reasons. Shortly after landing they departed garberville and flew to Covelo airport (O09) and landed. The pilot fueled the aircraft with 90 gallons of 100LL from the self-service fuel pump.
Around 18:00 on 10/20/2023 the aircraft departed from runway 28 in a left-hand turn. Witness stated it was warm and clear with very little wind as confirmed by the national weather service at 18:03 PDT as temperature 82 deg f, winds 5 sse, dew point 45 f, relative humidity 27%, altimeter setting 29.92 in hg.
The witness #1 who could observe the end of the runway and said they were very low and didn’t seem like they were going very fast. They were able to see the pilot in the aircraft as they went by their house in a left turn upon departing runway 28.
Witness #2 was able to observe the aircraft flying close to the ground at approximately 50 feet and made a steep left turn of approximately 80 degrees. Witness lost visual contact as the aircraft flew behind their house. Investigation determined the approximate heading was approximately 120 degrees prior to impacting the ground. Shortly after, they heard the aircraft impact and heard secondary explosions. The witness attempted to go to the accident site but it was engulfed in fire.
Witness #2 indicated they never have aircraft depart so low and slow over their house in a left turn since this in the direction of rising terrain. Normal traffic pattern at Covelo airport is right hand pattern as indicated in the FAA airport sectional, pilot’s guides, and depicted on the segmented circle around the windsock.
At the accident site, the aircraft impact location was approximately 100 feet up a hill burning about an acre. The fuselage orientation was 064 degrees. The aircraft came through the wooded hillside at an extremely high angle removing limbs and toppling one tree in a wing low attitude.
Fire consumed most of the aircraft, except the engine. Two Textron aviation air safety investigators were able to confirm flight control continuity on scene. No electronic recording data was salvageable. The engine was removed by the aircraft recovery company for further analysis by the manufacturer, NTSB, and FAA.
12/07/2023, Engine analysis was performed by NTSB, Textron aviation, and FAA iic. The engine was intact but was damaged by the fire. Rotated the crank and was able to verify rotatable components intact. Debris in the fuel injectors but determined it was the engine being stored upside down by the salvage company. An electrode was missing from the #3 top sparkplug and #6 bottom spark plug but did look clean and shiny as it may have been from impact. The remaining plugs and coloration looked normal. Investigation did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies.
Aircraft records and pilot’s log have not been located at this time of investigation.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM HEBER, UT (HCR) ON 10/202023 FOR A PLANNED DIRECT FLIGHT TO SHELTER COVE, CA (0Q5). BASED ON RADAR TRACKS THE AIRCRAFT FLEW OVER THE SHELTER COVE AIRPORT AND APPEARED TO DIVERT TO GARBERVILLE AIRPORT (O16) FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. SHORTLY AFTER LANDING THEY DEPARTED GARBERVILLE AND FLEW TO COVELO AIRPORT (O09) AND LANDED. THE PILOT FUELED THE AIRCRAFT WITH 90 GALLONS OF 100LL FROM THE SELF-SERVICE FUEL PUMP.
AROUND 18:00 ON 10/20/2023 THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM RUNWAY 28 IN A LEFT-HAND TURN. WITNESS STATED IT WAS WARM AND CLEAR WITH VERY LITTLE WIND AS CONFIRMED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT 18:03 PDT AS TEMPERATURE 82 DEG F, WINDS 5 SSE, DEW POINT 45 F, RELATIVE HUMIDITY 27%, ALTIMETER SETTING 29.92 IN HG.
THE WITNESS #1 WHO COULD OBSERVE THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND SAID THEY WERE VERY LOW AND DIDN’T SEEM LIKE THEY WERE GOING VERY FAST. THEY WERE ABLE TO SEE THE PILOT IN THE AIRCRAFT AS THEY WENT BY THEIR HOUSE IN A LEFT TURN UPON DEPARTING RUNWAY 28.
WITNESS #2 WAS ABLE TO OBSERVE THE AIRCRAFT FLYING CLOSE TO THE GROUND AT APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET AND MADE A STEEP LEFT TURN OF APPROXIMATELY 80 DEGREES. WITNESS LOST VISUAL CONTACT AS THE AIRCRAFT FLEW BEHIND THEIR HOUSE. INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THE APPROXIMATE HEADING WAS APPROXIMATELY 120 DEGREES PRIOR TO IMPACTING THE GROUND. SHORTLY AFTER, THEY HEARD THE AIRCRAFT IMPACT AND HEARD SECONDARY EXPLOSIONS. THE WITNESS ATTEMPTED TO GO TO THE ACCIDENT SITE BUT IT WAS ENGULFED IN FIRE.
WITNESS #2 INDICATED THEY NEVER HAVE AIRCRAFT DEPART SO LOW AND SLOW OVER THEIR HOUSE IN A LEFT TURN SINCE THIS IN THE DIRECTION OF RISING TERRAIN. NORMAL TRAFFIC PATTERN AT COVELO AIRPORT IS RIGHT HAND PATTERN AS INDICATED IN THE FAA AIRPORT SECTIONAL, PILOT’S GUIDES, AND DEPICTED ON THE SEGMENTED CIRCLE AROUND THE WINDSOCK.
AT THE ACCIDENT SITE, THE AIRCRAFT IMPACT LOCATION WAS APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET UP A HILL BURNING ABOUT AN ACRE. THE FUSELAGE ORIENTATION WAS 064 DEGREES. THE AIRCRAFT CAME THROUGH THE WOODED HILLSIDE AT AN EXTREMELY HIGH ANGLE REMOVING LIMBS AND TOPPLING ONE TREE IN A WING LOW ATTITUDE.
FIRE CONSUMED MOST OF THE AIRCRAFT, EXCEPT THE ENGINE. TWO TEXTRON AVIATION AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS WERE ABLE TO CONFIRM FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY ON SCENE. NO ELECTRONIC RECORDING DATA WAS SALVAGEABLE. THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED BY THE AIRCRAFT RECOVERY COMPANY FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS BY THE MANUFACTURER, NTSB, AND FAA.
12/07/2023, ENGINE ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BY NTSB, TEXTRON AVIATION, AND FAA IIC. THE ENGINE WAS INTACT BUT WAS DAMAGED BY THE FIRE. ROTATED THE CRANK AND WAS ABLE TO VERIFY ROTATABLE COMPONENTS INTACT. DEBRIS IN THE FUEL INJECTORS BUT DETERMINED IT WAS THE ENGINE BEING STORED UPSIDE DOWN BY THE SALVAGE COMPANY. AN ELECTRODE WAS MISSING FROM THE #3 TOP SPARKPLUG AND #6 BOTTOM SPARK PLUG BUT DID LOOK CLEAN AND SHINY AS IT MAY HAVE BEEN FROM IMPACT. THE REMAINING PLUGS AND COLORATION LOOKED NORMAL. INVESTIGATION DID NOT REVEAL ANY PRE-IMPACT ANOMALIES.
AIRCRAFT RECORDS AND PILOT’S LOG HAVE NOT BEEN LOCATED AT THIS TIME OF INVESTIGATION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.