LAX00FA324

The airplane impacted the side of a mountain, 200 feet below its crest, while in a cruise descent after encountering adverse weather conditions at night. The airline transport pilot did not obtain a weather briefing prior to departing for the cross-country flight, nor was there any evidence that he obtained in-flight weather information while en route. Radar data depicted the airplane southbound on a direct heading toward Stellar Airpark. The radar data depicted the airplane descending from 7,000 feet to 3,000 feet msl. The radar track depicted the airplane turning toward the east at a point north of the Scottsdale airport, continuing in the turn until it disappeared from the scope at the same coordinates that corresponded to the crash site. The last radar reported altitude, heading, and groundspeed were 3,000 feet, 140 degrees, and 156 knots, respectively. The coordinates of the last radar return corresponded to the crash site. The wreckage was located within a 100-foot radius of the initial impact point. The airspeed indicator was found at the site with the needle impinged at the 160-knot point on the instrument face. A meteorological study revealed that severe weather, which included dust storms and convective activity, was prevalent in the area at the time of the accident. The severe weather was a result of the area's seasonal monsoon. Dark night lighting conditions also prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot's partner in the accident airplane stated that it was common for the pilot to stay below the floor of class B airspace (4,000 feet msl) while transitioning through the area en route to Stellar Airpark. He told investigators that it is frequently difficult for visual flight rules (VFR) traffic to get a clearance from controllers because of their high workload.

History of flight

On August 22, 2000, at 2047 mountain standard time, a Bellanca 17-30 single engine airplane, N4905V, collided with mountainous terrain during a cruise descent 4.5 miles east-northeast of Scottsdale, Arizona. The airplane was destroyed and the airline transport pilot and passenger received fatal injuries. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot as a personal flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated from the Cal Black Memorial airport near Hall's Crossing, Utah, about 1900, and was en route to Stellar Airpark, Chandler, Arizona. A monsoonal weather system was rapidly moving through the area at the time of the accident producing instrument meteorological conditions near the accident site. A flight plan was not filed for the flight.

On September 1, 2000, a pilot spotted the wreckage on the southwestern slope of the McDowell mountain range and reported it to authorities. The airplane was located about the 3,000-foot level, about 200 feet below the ridgeline, which runs from the northwest to southeast. The location was identified as 33 degrees 38.560 minutes north latitude and 111 degrees 49.043 minutes west longitude, 4.5 miles east northeast of Scottsdale airport. The accident site lies on a direct route between the Cal Black Memorial Airport and Stellar Airpark.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that a review of Williams Gateway airport terminal radar showed a 1200 code secondary beacon return that was southbound on a direct heading toward Stellar Airpark. The radar data depicted the airplane descending from 7,000 feet to 3,000 feet msl. The radar track depicted the airplane turning toward the east at a point north of the Scottsdale airport, continuing in the turn until it disappeared from the scope at the same coordinates that corresponded to the crash site. The last radar reported altitude, heading, and groundspeed were 3,000 feet, 140 degrees, and 156 knots, respectively.

Personell information

The airline transport pilot held ratings in single and multiengine airplanes. He also held a commercial pilot certificate for helicopters. He was employed as an airline pilot by American West Airlines. He was issued a first-class medical certificate on March 10, 2000, with a limitation indicating that he "must have available glasses for near vision." According to his last medical certificate application, he reported having had accumulated a total of 17,000 flight hours. The pilot's logbooks were not recovered during the course of the investigation. It is not known how many hours he had accumulated in the accident airplane.

The pilot's partner in the accident airplane stated that it was common for the pilot to stay below the floor of class B airspace (4,000 feet msl) while transitioning through the area en route to Stellar Airpark. He told investigators that it is frequently difficult for visual flight rules (VFR) traffic to get a clearance from controllers because of their high workload.

Aircraft information

According to the aircraft co-owner, the 4-seat airplane was equipped with two visual omni range (VOR) navigational radios. A fuel slip from Midway Aviation at Cal Black Memorial Airport indicated that the pilot refueled with 22 gallons of aviation gasoline upon his arrival, August 15, 2000. Aircraft maintenance records were not located prior to this reports writing.

Meteorological information

The partner told investigators that it was the pilot's usual practice to obtain a weather briefing from the Prescott flight service station (FSS). A review of services by FAA quality assurance personnel found no record of a weather briefing for the accident flight by either the flight service station system or through DUATS.

A witness at the destination airport reported that the weather system began moving through the area about 2000 on the evening of the accident. He described the system as being comprised of a large dust cloud approaching from the east-northeast followed by cumulus build-ups, heavy rain, and gusty winds. He stated that the system had essentially passed through the area by 2100.

A meteorology study was conducted by a National Transportation Safety Board staff meteorologist, and the following are details extracted from that study:

It was determined that the monsoon season (a seasonal reversal with a distinct wet season) started in the middle of June for the Phoenix, Arizona, area. On a typical day during the Arizona Monsoon, thunderstorms develop first in the early afternoon over the higher mountains and the Mogollon Rim. The thunderstorms move south and westward down the plateau along the topographic gradient. Rain cooled air from these thunderstorms, known as outflow, moves down from the high country and into the deserts. Acting like a small scale cold front, this outflow causes the hot and moist desert air to rise producing thunderstorms. Over the higher deserts of southeast Arizona, thunderstorms also develop over the higher terrain and move west to northwestward during the mid and late afternoon.

On most days thunderstorm activity ends altogether around midnight. During the monsoon season, the maximum thunderstorm activity typically occurs in the Phoenix area by 2200, as both areas of convection from the plateau and the southeast high desert areas intersect over the area. Severe weather often accompanies the summer monsoon season with downburst winds, intense cloud-to-ground lightning, and flash flooding are the most common type of severe weather activity; however, hail and small tornadoes are also possible.

At 1935, the National Weather Service (NWS) Radar Summary Chart depicted an area of thunderstorms and rain showers extending over southern California into northwest Arizona, an area of rain showers over northeastern Arizona, and an area of thunderstorms over southeastern Arizona. The thunderstorms over southeast Arizona ranged from intense to extreme intensity (NWS intensities 5 to 6), with radar tops to 47,000 feet msl. The cell movement over the area was reported towards the west-northwest at 8 knots.

The 2035 Radar Summary Chart continued to depict an area of intense to extreme intensity thunderstorms and rain showers over southern Arizona.

The closest airport to the accident site was Scottsdale Airport (SDL), which was located 4.5 miles west-southwest of the accident site at an elevation of 1,510 feet msl. The weather observations at the airport were as follows:

At 1945, the reported weather was wind from 250 degrees at 7 knots; visibility 40 statute miles; ceiling broken at 20,000 feet; temperature 35 degrees Celsius; dew point 12 degrees Celsius; and an altimeter setting of 29.87 inches of mercury.

At 2045, the reported weather was wind from 150 degrees at 12 knots; visibility 4 statute miles in a dust storm; ceiling broken at 15,000 feet; temperature 32 degrees Celsius; dew point 15 degrees Celsius; and an altimeter setting of 29.94 inches of mercury.

It should be noted that a dust storm is an unusual, frequently severe weather condition characterized by strong winds and dust filled air over an extensive area. A dust storm usually arrives suddenly in the form of an advancing dust wall, which may be miles long, and several thousand feet high, ahead of which there may be some dust whirls, either detached or merging with the main mass. Ahead of the dust wall the air is very hot an the wind is usually light.

The weather observation facility at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona, located 18 miles southwest of the accident site, reported the following weather:

At 1956, the wind was variable at 3 knots; visibility was 10 statute miles; and there were a few clouds at 9,000 feet and broken cloud layers at 14,000 and 25,000 feet. The temperature and dew point were 36 and 14 degrees Celsius, respectively, and the altimeter setting