LAX01FA152

During an instrument departure climbout to VFR conditions on top, the airplane impacted a coastal mountain slope in near vertical, diving flight. Radar data showed that the initial climbout was on course; however, upon reaching the initial navigational fix, the airplane ceased climbing and turned in the wrong direction toward rising terrain. The pilot reported no difficulty and his voice was calm. The engine sound, audible in the background of the communication, was smooth and synchronized. The air traffic controller issued a terrain warning and instructed the pilot to reverse course immediately if not in VFR conditions. In the next 14 seconds the aircraft climbed 400 feet and then disappeared from radar. The airplane's instruments and switches were destroyed by impact.

History of flight

On April 22, 2001, at 1108 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 310F, N5834X, was destroyed by impact with mountainous terrain, 3 miles northwest of Carmel Valley, California. The airline transport certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The personal flight was operated by the owner under 14 CFR Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and the aircraft was operating on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The flight originated at the Monterey Peninsula airport at 1105.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Southwest Region Quality Assurance Office, the aircraft arrived at Monterey from Carson City, Nevada, on a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan. Upon arrival at Monterey, the pilot requested an instrument clearance from VFR conditions on top and executed an instrument approach and landing at Monterey; landing about 1030. According to a transcript of communications, at 1052:53, the pilot contacted Monterey Air Traffic Control Tower and requested an instrument clearance to VFR conditions on top. The tower issued a clearance to the "Salinas VOR [navigational aide] via the SECA 2 departure, climb to and report reaching VFR conditions on top, if not on top by 6,000 [feet] maintain 6,000 and advise, tops last reported 2,300 [feet], departure frequency will be 133.0, [transponder] squawk will be assigned." The pilot read back the clearance but omitted the assigned altitude in the read-back. The controller restated, "your altitude is 6,000." The pilot acknowledged "6,000." At 1100:05, the aircraft was issued a taxi clearance to runway 10R and was given a transponder code of 4565. At 1104:45, the aircraft was cleared for takeoff on runway 10R. At 1107:00, the tower controller transmitted to the aircraft that he was not receiving the aircraft's transponder. At 1107:20, the tower transmitted "I've got your transponder now, contact departure [control]." At 1107:56, the pilot transmitted "Monterey, twin Cessna 5834 xray is with you (unintelligible) 2,000." At 1108:04, the Monterey Approach controller transmitted "last call to Monterey was that twin Cessna 5834 xray?" At 1108:06, the pilot replied "34 xray." At 1108:10, the controller transmitted "November 34 xray verify you're flying the seca 2 departure, say altitude." At 1108:13, the pilot replied "2,200 climbing." At 1108:14, the controller transmitted "are you canceling IFR and on top now VFR, you're southbound November 34X, radar contact 5 miles east of Monterey." At 1108:28, the pilot replied "we're just about to break out here a little bit." At 1108:30, the controller transmitted "34 xray you're heading directly towards higher terrain turn northbound immediately if you're not VFR." At 1108:40, the controller transmitted "November 34 xray are you on top?" There was no further communication received from the aircraft.

The SECA 2 departure procedure states (in part) "TAKE-OFF RUNWAY 10L/R: Climb via heading 096 [degrees] and intercept the SNS [Salinas navigational aide] R-210 to SNS VORTAC, thence via assigned route, maintain 6,000 [feet]. Expect clearance to filed altitude 5 minutes after departure."

A review of recorded radar flight path data provided by the FAA's Southwest Region Quality Assurance Office shows that, after departure, the aircraft climbed approximately on a 100-degree (magnetic) heading, until crossing the Salinas VORTAC 210 radial, at which time the aircraft track turned right to approximately a 160-degree heading and the aircraft remained on that heading until radar contact was lost near the accident site at 1108:53. Between 1107:15 and 1108:30, the airplane's mode C altitude decreased from 2,200 feet, down to 1,800 feet, and then increased back up to 2,200 feet. Between 1108:30 and 1108:45, the altitude increased from 2,100 feet to 2,500 feet. There was one final altitude return at 1108:53, at an altitude of 2,100 feet.

A witness who resides in the Carmel Valley, 1.5 miles northwest of accident location, reported the airplane "came out of nowhere from behind the hill, and was going very fast." She also stated that it was "definitely not in control, in a very fast descent." She heard the airplane pass overhead and then immediately heard a loud "thump," and the sound ceased. She said it came from the direction of the Monterey airport and that she did not see the airplane, nor could she see the crash site from her home. About the weather conditions at the time, she stated: "It was sunny, I could see the tops of the hills. There were no clouds." She said she could see "blue sky" above the hills.

The passenger who the pilot dropped off in Monterey on the inbound flight said he was trying out using an airplane in his business to reduce driving time. He was not a pilot and the flight to Monterey was only his fourth business trip in the airplane. He said the airplane had been parked unused at Carson City for some period of time and he made an arrangement with the (deceased) owner's wife to make the airplane airworthy again and use it in his business travel in exchange. He planned to ultimately buy it. He used the pilot involved in the accident and one other pilot to fly it for him.

He said that the pilot was a "good, articulate pilot." He said the pilot received a weather briefing before they left and that he (the pilot) was told to expect that the clouds would have burned off by the time of their arrival. He said it was a smooth trip, but when they arrived at Monterey the clouds were still present. The pilot called for an instrument approach and they "guided us in." It was the first time the passenger had been in the clouds in a small airplane. The clouds were thicker than they expected; he thinks about 1,000 feet thick with a 1,000-foot ceiling underneath the clouds. He said that the pilot handled the airplane smoothly in the clouds, although at one point they came out of the bottom of the clouds and the controller called and said they were too low and they climbed back up into the clouds.

A ramp agent at Del Monte Aviation said the accident aircraft taxied onto their ramp [after landing] about 1030, and he attempted to direct the pilot to a parking space. The pilot seemingly ignored his directions and, after a period of time, taxied out near the edge of their ramp as though leaving and stopped there. The pilot shutoff the engines there and a man and a woman deplaned and exited (walked off) the ramp via the pedestrian gate without going in the Del Monte office. The pilot never exited the aircraft and no services were provided. The pilot restarted the engines and taxied from their ramp about 1045.

Personnel information

The owner/operator of Silver Sky Aviation, Carson City, said that the pilot worked for him as a flight instructor and (FAR Part 135) charter pilot until the end of the previous year when he closed down the flight operation and retained his maintenance business. He characterized the pilot as a "good, conscientious pilot with lots of [Cessna] 310 time." Up until the end of last year he was the operator's (FAR) Part 135 pilot and flew a Piper PA-23-250 (Aztec). He took regular check rides in the Aztec with the FAA's Reno Flight Standards District Office. The operator also has a Cessna 300 series simulator and said that the pilot gave instruction in the simulator as recently as the week before the accident.

The pilot's wife, who is also a pilot, told the Safety Board investigator that her husband was very disciplined about maintenance of the aircraft he flew and "wouldn't have gone up if everything wasn't right."

The passenger who was dropped off on the inbound flight to Monterey said "everything was fine," the pilot appeared physically and mentally normal and described him as "jovial."

The pilot's wife provided copies of his logbook for the period December 4, 1999, to February 21, 2001, and copies of his p