LAX00FA213

The pilot reported hearing a loud noise and feeling his ears pop while the twin-engine airplane was in cruise flight about 12,900 feet. Radar data revealed that the airplane was on a relatively straight and level flight track until approximately 1 hour prior to the accident, when it initiated a spiraling descent to the left. The airplane continued toward the accident site on an erratic flight path, with the altitude varying between 6,000 and 9,000 feet. The pilot reported having trouble seeing his instruments and felt confused. He thought he was landing at an airport New Mexico near his ranch, but landed on a road in Arizona and struck light poles. Witnesses at the accident site stated that the pilot appeared impaired and confused, but did not smell of alcohol. The pilot left the accident site, and was not tested for alcohol or carbon monoxide poisoning. He reported that he did not consume any drugs or alcohol prior to, or during the flight, but did report smoking three packs of cigarettes a day and also smoked cigars. Examination of the pressurization and cabin air systems revealed that a fractured clamp that could have prevented the cabin from maintaining pressurization. In addition, there was evidence of engine exhaust by-products in some components of the airplane's pressurization system that should not have been exposed to engine exhaust. The source of the engine exhaust infusion into the pressurization system could not be determined.

History of flight

On June 1, 2000, about 1015 mountain standard time, a Cessna 414A, N414PS, was substantially damaged when it impacted light poles in a housing development during an off-airport landing near Prescott Valley, Arizona. The pilot and his two dogs were not injured. The airplane was registered to Prop Jocks, Inc., of Los Angeles, California, and was being operated as a personal flight by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. The cross-country flight originated at Van Nuys Airport (VNY), Van Nuys, California Van Nuys, California, at 0821, with an intended destination of Las Vegas Municipal Airport (LVS), Las Vegas, New Mexico. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed and activated for the flight.

The pilot was flying to Las Vegas to check on his ranch home, which was surrounded by wildfires. He reported that he was in cruise flight at 13,000 feet mean sea level (msl) when he heard a loud sound. His ears "popped" and his dogs began barking. Concerned that he had lost pressurization, he looked for a suitable landing site. He reported being confused and had a hard time seeing his instruments. After seeing what he believed was an airport below, he circled the field to the left and initiated an approach from the west. On short final, he noticed a truck parked on the left side of what he believed was a runway near the approach end, and lengthened his approach to clear the vehicle by 4 or 5 feet.

Just prior to touchdown, the airplane's right wing struck a light pole, and lost about a 4-foot outboard section. The airplane then touched down, bounced, and touched down again. It crossed an intersection, and struck a stop sign and another light pole. The airplane then veered right, off the paved portion of the roadway, and struck an electrical utility box with outboard section of the extended left flap. The airplane came to rest, facing south, about 200 yards from the first impact point.

The pilot shut down the airplane, and he and his dogs exited without assistance.

Four witnesses, who were working in the housing development, originally reported to local law enforcement personnel that they were at lunch during the accident and had not observed it. Later that day, one of the witnesses stated to another law enforcement officer that he had a "confession to make," and told the officer that he had witnessed the accident and had spoken with the pilot, but the pilot then walked to the road and obtained a ride from a passerby.

On June 6, 2000, local law enforcement personnel received a report that the witnesses had seen and spoken with the pilot in more detail, so officers spoke with them again. All four witnesses recanted their first statement, then submitted written accounts. In their accounts, all four witnesses reported that the airplane was maneuvering overhead, then lined up with the road near their worksite. The airplane crossed over a truck that was parked on the road, by about 5 feet, touched down on the road and bounced back into the air approximately 5-7 feet, and impacted a light pole with its right wing, separating the outboard wing section. The airplane then touched down again and impacted a second light pole with the right wing, removing another section of wing. The airplane rotated to the right approximately 180 degrees, and came to rest in a field.

According to one of the witnesses, he drove over to the airplane to check on the pilot. The witness drove around the airplane looking for fuel leaks, and when he found none, he parked next to the airplane's cabin door, which was open. Two dogs were wandering around outside the airplane, and the pilot was pacing back and forth through the airplane. When the witness asked the pilot if he was all right, the pilot answered that he was, but he seemed to be unaware that his airplane had impacted poles during the landing.

The pilot subsequently asked the witness if the wildfires had reached his ranch. The witness stated that he didn't know where the pilot's ranch was, and the pilot pointed to a nearby hill and said, "right over there, in the canyon." The witness was not aware of any ranch in that area. The pilot then asked the witness if he could put some beer that his brother left in the airplane, in the witness' truck. The witness agreed, and believed that the pilot retrieved the beer out of the wing compartment, which he remembered being warm. The witness then told the pilot to get him and his coworkers if he needed help with anything, and left.

The witness then returned to his coworkers, who then elected to return to the airplane with him. One of the other witnesses asked the pilot if he was all right, to which he replied, "yeah, I can't believe this happened." One of the witnesses then asked the pilot if something went wrong with the airplane, to which, the pilot replied, "everything went haywire up there." Another witness asked what happened, and the pilot said, "I don't know, I land here almost every other day." They all reported that the pilot seemed impaired, and unaware as to his whereabouts. Two of the witnesses indicated that they smelled alcohol in the airplane, but not on the pilot.

According to the witnesses, the pilot appeared to be looking for something in the airplane. One of the witnesses offered to help. The pilot stated that he was looking for a bottle of wine, which the witness found beneath one of the aft seats. Both the pilot and the witness then exited the airplane with the bottle of wine, which was 1/3 full. Another witness put the wine bottle in his toolbox. The pilot then asked the witnesses to make up a story about what they had seen. They agreed to tell people that they were away at lunch when the accident occurred, and that they saw the pilot and his two dogs walk to the road and hitch a ride.

Three of the four witnesses returned to work and one stayed with the pilot. The pilot asked the remaining witness if he was in New Mexico, and was told that he wasn't. The remaining witness then offered to drive the pilot into town.

The witness drove the pilot to the witness's house at 1130, where the pilot called the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and cancelled his flight plan, then called his wife and his flight instructor. At 1330, the witness took the pilot to the accident site, but upon seeing the police and media, the pilot requested that the witness take him to a hotel.

About 1500, the pilot was contacted by police via cell phone. According to the police statement, the pilot told authorities that he "experienced a pressurization problem."

About 1615, the witness dropped the pilot off at a hotel.

The witness indicated that the pilot appeared impaired at the accident site, but at no time did he smell alcohol on the pilot. He added that he purchased a pack of cigarettes for the pilot before taking him to the hotel.

At 2015, the pilot met with law enforcement personnel, and told them that he thought he had a pressurization problem, and descended to land. He found what he thought was an airport and landed. He noticed people on the "runway" and attempted to land on the remaining runway. He told the officers that he did not remain at the accident site earlier in the day because he did not want to "make a spectacle out of the event."

Air traffic control information

A review of radar data revealed that the airplane was on a relatively straight and level flight track, at 12,900 feet, until 43 nautical miles east of the Needles VOR. At 0904, the airplane initiated a spiraling descent to the left. The radar data then depicted a very erratic flight path for about 1 hour, during which, the airplane's altitude varied between 6,000 and 9,000 feet. At 1012, the airplane, which had been flying south-southeast, began a descending right turn toward the accident site.

Personnel informatio