LAX02FA073

The twin engine airplane impacted mountainous terrain at the 6,700-foot level during moonless night flight operations. The instrument rated pilot radioed the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and requested flight following and a vector to the destination airport. The pilot indicated he was flying at 6,700 feet and was descending. The controller radar identified the airplane and issued the recommended heading. The pilot asked for additional distance and airspeed information, which was provided by the controller, and no further radio contact with the pilot was attained. The airplane impacted a mountain approximately 50 feet below its crest in the approximate direction of the radar ground track. A post accident examination of the airplane and engines revealed no anomalies that would have prevented its normal operations. Interviews with the air traffic controllers, who were providing the accident airplane's flight following information, indicated they did not think the airplane was in imminent danger of impacting terrain; therefore, they did not issue a low altitude alert. Controllers are required to immediately issue an alert to an airplane if they are aware the airplane is at an altitude, which in the controllers judgment, places it in unsafe proximity to terrain/obstructions. The controllers reported they have worked numerous airplanes in that area at similar altitudes as the accident airplane and did not think the accident airplane was any different. The controllers added that they did not have terrain information overlaid on their video map for the accident area. The responsibility to maintain terrain clearance during visual meteorological conditions rests with the pilot. The accident area sectional chart depicts a maximum elevation figure (MEF) for the accident site quadrant as 7,400 feet.

History of flight

On January 30, 2002, at 1854 Pacific standard time, a Piper Aerostar 601P twin engine airplane, N3636M, was destroyed when it impacted mountainous terrain near Stonyford, California. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to a private individual and was operated by the pilot as a business flight under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed Chico, California, at 1837, and was destined for Ukiah, California. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a flight plan was not filed.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicated the pilot contacted the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) at 1849:22, and requested flight following and radar vectors to the Ukiah Airport. The controller requested the pilot verify his position, to which he responded, he was approximately halfway between Ukiah and Chico on about the 230 radial from the Chico VOR. The air traffic controller determined the airplane was not in his area of responsibility and instructed the pilot to contact Oakland Center (same ARTCC, different sector) on a different radio frequency.

At 1850:55, the pilot contacted the other Oakland Center sector and advised, "I'm about halfway between Chico and Ukiah enroute Ukiah at sixty seven hundred descending, squawking VFR (visual flight rules). I'd appreciate flight following and vectors to Ukiah." The controller radar identified the airplane, confirmed the altitude, and requested the pilot's current heading. The pilot indicated the airplane was flying a 230-degree heading. At 1852:15, the controller advised the pilot to fly a heading of 220 degrees to reach Ukiah. The pilot acknowledged the suggested heading.

The air traffic controller transferred position responsibility to another controller after briefing him on the traffic situations. The second controller was present and observed the first controller identify N3636M and issue the suggested heading of 220 degrees.

At 1853:18, the pilot requested distance information to Ukiah. The second controller informed the pilot that Ukiah was 34 miles away. At 1853:31, the pilot asked the air traffic controller if they were depicting a ground speed of 181-185 knots. The controller responded the radar system depicted the aircraft speed at 182 knots. That was the last communication with the pilot.

At 1854:38, the airplane's last radar return was received. At 1855:46, the radar data information indicated the radar track entered a "coast" status and could not associate the flight plan information with the radar returns.

At 1856:00, the air traffic control (ATC) attempted to transmit to the pilot that radar contact was lost, and he probably would not receive radar information until the aircraft was about 5-10 miles from Ukiah "due to [his] limited radar coverage in that area." The pilot did not respond to that transmission, and the controller made several radio calls attempting to contact the pilot of N3636M, to no avail.

The controller requested other pilot's in the area to transmit to N3636M via common traffic advisory frequencies. He also had controllers, who were working the high-altitude sector, to ask other flight crews to monitor emergency frequencies for emergency locator transmitter signals. The control center then began search and rescue notification.

The wreckage was located near the peak of St. John's Mountain at 39:26:11 north latitude and 122:41.44 west longitude. The accident site was located at the 6,700-foot level of the 6,746-foot mountain.

Personnel information

The pilot held a private pilot certificate with single engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane ratings. He held a second-class medical certificate that was issued on May 1, 2000, with a limitation that he "must wear corrective lenses and poses glasses for near and interim vision." According to an aviation insurance renewal application, the pilot accumulated approximately 2,830 total flight hours, of which approximately 750 hours were accumulated in multiengine airplanes. The pilot listed July 18, 2000, as the date of his last biennial flight review.

The pilot logbooks were not located during the investigation. It is unknown how much night flight time and instrument flight time the pilot accumulated. It is also unknown how much flight time the pilot had accumulated in the accident airplane make and model.

Prior to the accident flight (from Chico to Ukiah), the pilot flew to Chico to pickup two passengers, flew them to Oakland, and then returned them to Chico. According to one of the passengers, the pilot lost his near vision glasses while they were in Oakland. The passenger had a pair of near vision prescription glasses he obtained from his personal optometrist, and at his suggestion, lent them to the pilot for the remainder legs of the flight. The pilot kept the glasses after dropping off the passengers in Chico and agreed to mail the glasses to the passenger after returning to Ukiah.

Aircraft information

The 6-seat airplane was powered by two 290-horsepower Lycoming IO-540-S1AD engines. Review of the aircraft's maintenance records revealed the airplane underwent its last annual inspection on December 1, 2001, at an aircraft total time of 1,275.1 hours. The altimeter/static and altitude reporting equipment systems were last tested and inspected on July 10, 2000, at an airplane total time of 1,227.5 hours. At the time of the accident, the Hobbs meter indicated 1,284.4 hours. At the time of the accident, the left engine accumulated 700.6 hours since its last overhaul, and the right engine had accumulated 1,284.4 hours since new.

Meteorological information

At 1848, the weather observation facility at Chico Municipal Airport, which is located 32 miles northeast of the accident site, reported the wind from 340 degrees at 5 knots; visibility 100 statute miles; scattered clouds at 20,000 feet; and an altimeter setting of 30.26 inches of mercury.

At 1856, the weather observation facility at the Ukiah Airport, which was 30 miles to the southwest of the accident site, reported the wind from 260 degrees at 3 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; clear sky; temperature 5 degrees Celsius; dew point -2 degrees Celsius; and an altimeter setting of 30.27 inches of mercury.

According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, on the evening of the accident, the time of sunset was 1736, with an end to civil twilight of 1804. At the time of the accident, the moon's illumination was 93 percent; however, the altitude of the moon was 8.5 degrees below the horizon.

Air traffic control information

An Air Traffic Control group was formed on February 1, 2002, to examine the details as they related to air traffic control. The following information was extracted from the Safety Board's Air Traffic Control Factual Report.

The Chico Municipal Airport is located in central northern California and is approximately 70 miles northwest of the Ukiah Airport. The Ukiah Municipal Airport is located nearer the California coastline southeast of the Sanhedrin Mountain range. Mountainous terrain varying from 3,000 feet to just over 7,000 feet lies in the lower southwest area between the two airports. The highest peak is 7,056 feet, which is located at Snow Mountain; about 35 miles northeast of the Ukiah Airport.

An area of class G airspace lies to the northeast of the St. John Mountain extending up to 8,500 feet mean sea level (msl). The remainder of the area along N3636M's route of flight is class E airspace.

The air traffic control sector that was in radio and radar contact with the accident flight (sector 42), was responsible for FL230 and below, and received radar data on the accident flight from the Red Bluff radar location. According to the air route traffic control center controllers, radar contact is commonly lost with a