LAX01FA103

The accident occurred during a dark night departure from a private unlighted airstrip. The pilot had landed, assisted by the headlights of a car, on the landing strip/road about 1830. After dropping off a passenger, he departed about 1900. The departure direction was towards a sparsely populated area of rolling hills. Local area residents reported hearing a plane depart, followed by a loss of engine sound, and an impact in a grape vineyard. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane impacted the ground in a nose down attitude. According to maintenance records, the last recorded annual inspection occurred 12 months and about 299.5 flight hours prior to the accident. Approximately 5 months before the accident, the FAA Certified Repair Station (CRS) that performed the maintenance on the airplane had given the pilot/owner a 15-item list of "grounding discrepancies." The discrepancies were: Cracked nose cowling; fraying seat belts; LH mag switch broken; LH window cracked; LH windshield crazed; stall warning inoperative; turbine inlet temperature inoperative; door latch safety inoperative; several hydraulic components leaking; main gear trunion pins worn; several cracks in wing lower skins; fuel leaks; loose rivets on RH flap; wing spar bolts loose; and elevator trim cable frayed. According to the CRS manager, the only item that had been repaired prior to the accident was the cracked nose cowling. However, an engine log entry indicated the TIT gage had also been replaced. Additionally, several witnesses reported that the pilot had been flying the airplane with an inoperative landing gear retract system for about 4 months. During post accident examination of the wreckage, investigators were able to verify that many of the listed discrepancies still existed; however, none of these discrepancies could be directly linked to the accident.

History of flight

On February 20, 2001, about 1900 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-46-350P, N9176Z, collided with terrain during the takeoff and initial climb from Mac Gillivray Ranch, a private airstrip, near Paso Robles, California. The airplane was registered to Confidential Management Services, Inc., a company operated by the pilot. The personal flight was being operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot received fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed. Dark night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was destined for Santa Ana, California.

According to a family member, the pilot had landed about 1830 at Mac Gillivray Ranch on the unlighted airstrip/road with the assistance of car headlights. The pilot dropped off a passenger and departed about 1900. Local area residents reported hearing what they thought to be an airplane taking off from the airstrip, followed by a loss of engine sound, and an impact or explosion. After a local area search, the wreckage was located about 0311 on February 21.

Personnel information

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the certificated private pilot was rated for airplane single engine land and instrument. The pilot's last recorded third-class medical examination, dated January 12, 1999, reported a total flight time of 12,000 hours. The pilot's last flight physical examiner was contacted regarding his possible physical renewal. The pilot had made an appointment for January 29, 2001, at 1000, but did not show up for the appointment. The pilot's logbook was not recovered nor was biennial flight review information.

Aircraft information

Maintenance logbooks and records were recovered from Southern Aviation Maintenance, Inc., Santa Ana, and from the pilot's office in Upland, California. According to the airframe logbook, the last recorded annual inspection occurred on February 20, 2000, at Hobbs meter 954.0 hours. The Hobbs meter at the accident site indicated 1,253.5 hours; 299.5 hours since the annual inspection. The airplane had operated with five different engines. The fifth engine was installed on August 3, 1996, at Hobbs meter reading 2,941.2. The replacement of the Hobbs hour recording meter occurred at an unknown time. No airplane total times were found, or brought forward since 1996. An estimated total flight time of 4,194.7 hours was achieved through cross referencing maintenance and logbook information.

Two days after the accident, the Southern Aviation Maintenance manager presented the Safety Board investigator with a copy of a letter to the pilot regarding 15 discrepancies referred to as the "grounding discrepancies." The letter was dated September 19, 2000, and was signed by the Chief Inspector of the FAA Certified Repair Station #Z5SR421Y. The discrepancies were:

1. Nose cowling cracked

2. Seat belts are fraying

3. LH mag switch broken

4. LH window cracked

5. LH windshield crazed and scratched

6. Stall warning inop

7. TIT inop

8. Door latch safety inop

9. Several hydraulic components leaking: actuators, sequence valves, hoses

10. Main gear trunion pins worn

11. Several cracks on wing lower skins

12. Fuel leaks from LH & RH fuel tank access panels

13. Loose rivets on RH flap

14. Wing spar bolts loose

15. Elevator trim cable frayed

According to the manager, to the best of his knowledge, only one item had been repaired, the cracked nose cowling. However, an engine log entry dated October 4, 2000, stated "Installed loaner TIT gauge (71302-01)."

During the course of the investigation, the Safety Board investigator was informed by the vice-president of Confidential Management Services that the pilot had been operating the airplane for about 4 months with the landing gear in the extended or down position due to some mechanical problem. The FAA inspector obtained the same information from the pilot's son and ex-wife. The Southern Aviation maintenance manager indicated that the hydraulic power pack was damaged from running the pump out of hydraulic fluid. The pilot could not afford a new pump, nor could he afford to resolve the other discrepancies.

A copy of an e-mail dated April 6, 2000, from the pilot to the Southern Aviation maintenance manager was obtained. The subject of the e-mail was "9167Z Landing gear," and the pilot described the problem as "the nose gear not fully extending and locking." The e-mail stated in part, "should any of my surviving family or attorneys try to hold you responsible for any potential future mishaps that are related to this landing gear issue, please feel free to show them this correspondence as proof that I absolve you, your staff and insurance carrier of any responsibility."

A maintenance invoice dated March 10, 2000, lists a charge of $325.00 for a TIT probe. The TIT system is required by Lycoming and Piper be be functioning at all times during the operation of the airplane for proper temperature control of the engine. Lycoming, the engine manufacturer, provides additional operating recommendations to supplement the Pilot Operating Handbook and Engine Owner's Manual. The supplement stresses the importance of temperature control and the destructive affect of overtemping. Piper Mandatory Service Bulletin 995A establishes a 250-hour service life for TIT probes. Piper Service Letter 1008, reminds operators that the TIT system is a required system and must be maintained. Lycoming Mandatory Service Bulletin 531B provides for a 250-hour inspection of the turbochargers and tailpipes for in-service wear and damage.

Meteorological information

According to the nearest weather reporting facility at Paso Robles Airport, at 1753, the weather was: wind calm; visibility clear with 10 statute miles; temperature 48 degrees Fahrenheit; dew point 32 degrees Fahrenheit; and altimeter 30.21 inHg.

Local area witnesses reported the weather as clear at the time of the accident, as did a California Highway Patrol pilot who participated in the initial phase of the search for the wreckage. On the evening after the accident, before and after the accident time, the on-scene Safety Board investigator observed a departure direction towards a sparsely populated area of rolling hills and with a dark night.

Airport information

According to the FAA sectional aeronautical chart for Los Angeles, the Mac Gillivray Ranch private airstrip is located about 8 miles west of Paso Robles. The chart indicates a 3,400-foot runway at an elevation 1,534 feet msl. Examination of the airstrip/joint use road revealed it to be asphalt paved and unlighted. According to the State of California Division of Aeronautics, the runways are designated 4 and 22. Runway 4 has a 500-foot displaced threshold and runway 22 has an 800-foot displaced threshold. The runway pavement width is 30 feet, and the accident airplane wing span was 43 feet. The area around the airstrip is rolling hills.

Wreckage and impact information

The wreckage was located in an area of grape vineyards belonging to Tablas Creek Vineyard. The rolling hill site was sloping about 20 degrees southward. The ground was damp clay soil. The wreckage was located about 5 rows from the south border of the east-west rows near the Tablas Winery building.

The engine was buried below the soil surface at a near vertical angle from the horizontal. The vineyard surface was estimated about 10 degrees sloping downward southeast. The top of the engine and fuselage were pointing about 055 degrees. The departure runway direction is 220 degrees.

The landing gear was found in the extended position with all hydraulic actuators extended. The wing flap examination revealed about 15 actuator threads visible. According to Piper Aircraft, 10 degrees of flaps is 13 exposed threads, and 20 degrees is 21 threads. The gear handle was found in the up po