# NTSB LAX03FA093: Piper PA-30, N9YB, Nipomo, CA, February 22, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: February 21, 2003, 17:57 local (Feb 22, 2003, 01:57 UTC) - Place: Nipomo, CA - Coordinates: 34.984722, -120.566947 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.9847&lon=-120.5669&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal - Status: Completed, report April 25, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration, Textron Lycoming, Piper Aircraft Company - NTSB case key (mKey): 56527 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX03FA093 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/56527/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX03FA093 ## Probable cause the flying pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed that resulted in a stall/spin. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, maneuvering - airspeed - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - stall/spin - encountered - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The multiengine airplane descended in a nose down attitude while spinning and collided with flat level terrain. The accident occurred just after sunset during civil twilight in good visual meteorological conditions. Both occupants were pilots and were ejected during the impact sequence and seating positions could not be determined. A ground witness at the airport reported that he knew the owner and could recognize him on sight; as the airplane traveled by his location he noted that the owner was seated in the right seat. Based on the available information, investigators could not ascertain who was the flying pilot at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed, and family and friends of both pilots were not aware that the men had intended to fly that day, nor what the purpose of any flight would have been. The airplane owner held an airline transport pilot certificate with a multiengine rating and certified flight instructor certificate with a single engine rating. The passenger held a private pilot certificate with a single engine land rating. Airborne witnesses observed the accident airplane in turning maneuvers, but noted no apparent problems with the airplane. They did not see the accident occur; however, when they looked back towards the area where the accident airplane had been maneuvering, they observed the flashing lights of fire trucks on the ground. A ground witness reported that he saw an airplane spinning in a nose down attitude out of the corner of his eye. When he looked at the airplane, it made two more tight turns and then dropped out of his line of sight. The next thing he saw was a dust cloud. Both engines were buried into the ground at a 70-degree angle to the horizontal and the fuselage was torsionally twisted to the left over it's entire length. The airframe and engines were inspected with no mechanical anomalies noted that would have precluded normal operation. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 21, 2003, at 1757 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-30, N9YB, descended to ground impact in a nose down attitude on level terrain near Nipomo, California. The airline transport pilot (ATP)/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The ATP pilot, and a passenger, who held a private pilot certificate, were fatally injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area early evening flight that departed the Santa Maria Airport (SMX), Santa Maria, California, about 1740. No flight plan had been filed. The wreckage was at 32 degrees 59.515 minutes north latitude and 120 degrees 34.171 minutes west longitude. According to tower personnel at SMX, other than the initial call for takeoff at 1710, they were not in communication with the accident airplane. At 1810, a California Highway Patrol (CHP 70) helicopter notified the controller of a downed airplane 7.8 miles northwest of the airport. About 10 minutes later, CHP 70 confirmed the downed airplane was N9YB. Recorded weather for SMX at 1751 reported winds from 330 degrees at 6 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; a scattered cloud layer at 20,000 feet; temperature 56 degrees Fahrenheit; dew point 48 degrees Fahrenheit; altimeter setting 30.05 inches of Mercury. According to sun/moon data obtained from the United States Naval Observatory, the sun had set at 1750 the day of the accident, and the end of civil twilight occurred at 1816. WITNESS STATEMENTS A ground witness, working an adjacent field about 1/8th mile away, stated that he saw an airplane in a spinning descent out of the corner of his eye. When he looked at the airplane, he saw it make two more tight turns in a nose down attitude, and then dropped out of his line of sight. He then saw a cloud of dust. From his location, the witness estimated the airplane's altitude to be between 100 to 200 feet above ground level when he first noticed it. The witness was not able to tell in which direction the airplane was spinning, nor did he recall seeing any lights on the airplane. A certified flight instructor (CFI) and student were on a training flight during this period and observed the accident airplane flying in the area of SMX. The CFI indicated that they were unable to make radio calls on either the Lompoc or Oceano frequencies, so they had switched to the SMX frequency. At no time while they were on the SMX frequency did they hear any radio calls from the accident airplane. The CFI and student had just completed a maneuver and were on a climb-out with a turn towards the north-northeast. She noted their altitude as below 2,000 feet when they observed an object on their horizon with no apparent movement. Even though the airplane was far enough away from their current location, they decided to turn away from it, but remained cognizant of its location. As they set up for their next maneuver, they looked down and noted that the object that they had observed was an airplane. The airplane was near the refinery and made three turns: a southbound turn towards the city of Guadalupe; an eastbound turn towards Nipomo; and a northbound turn back towards the refinery. The student reported that he thought the other airplane was "really low" when it made a turn, and all of the position lights were on. After clearing the area to set up for another maneuver he saw a fire truck and commented to his CFI that he thought the airplane had crashed. PERSONNEL INFORMATION Both occupants were ejected from the aircraft on impact and seating positions could not be determined. A ground witness at the airport reported that he was familiar with the owner of the accident airplane and could recognize him on sight. To the best of this witness's recollection, the owner was not in the right seat as the airplane went past him. According to the spouse of the passenger, he departed about 1700 for the airport with the intent to work in his hangar before coming home for dinner. She also stated that her husband did not call her from the airport to tell her that he was going to go flying. The spouse stated that her husband and the owner of the airplane were flying acquaintances but did not spend a lot of time together outside of flying. Pilot/Owner A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman records revealed the owner held an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane multiengine land rating, as well as, commercial pilot privileges for airplane single engine land and single engine sea. The owner also held a CFI certificate with an airplane single engine land rating. In addition, he held a basic ground instructor certificate, and a flight engineer certificate. The owner held a first-class medical certificate that was issued on August 8, 2002. It had the limitation that the owner must wear corrective lenses. A personal logbook was located in the owner's hangar that was dated from January 4, 2002, through December 31, 2002. The Safety Board IIC estimated the total flight time recorded in that logbook as 2,104.1 hours. A personal logbook was not located. Federal Express employed him as a pilot; according to their records, the pilot had a total flight time of 8,057.52 hours. Pilot/Passenger According to the FAA airman records, the passenger held a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land and instrument airplane ratings. The passenger did not hold a multiengine rating. The passenger held a third-class medical certificate that was issued on May 3, 2002, with no limitations or waivers. According to the FAA medical records, the pilot reported 1,170.0 total flight hours on his last medical application. No personal flight records were located for the passenger. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The airplane was a 1964 Piper PA-30, serial number 30-597. A review of the airplane's logbooks revealed a total airframe time of 4,079.2 hours at the last annual inspection completed on November 6, 2002. The airplane was equipped with a Textron Lycoming IO-320-B1A engine, serial number L-1337-55A, installed on the left side, and a Textron Lycoming IO-320-B1A engine, serial number L-1322-55A, installed on the right side. Both engines had a total time of 4,079.2 hours, with 1,251.1 hours since a field major overhaul. Logbook entries for both engines indicated that the engines were overhauled on July 18, 1985. A Hartzell propeller hub model HC-E2YL-2BSF, serial number BG2911 was installed on the left engine. A Hartzell propeller hub model HC-E2YL-2BSF, serial number BG2757 was installed on the right engine. The propeller logbook entries for both propellers reported a total propeller time of 4,170.2 hours, with 370.2 hours since a field major overhaul. Fueling records from Aviation Unlimited at SMX established that the airplane was last fueled on February 15, 2003, with the addition of 62.27 gallons of 100 low lead octane aviation fuel. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION Investigators from the Safety Board, the FAA, Piper Aircraft, Inc., and Textron Lycoming examined the wreckage at the accident scene on February 22 and 23, 2003. The accident site was located approximately 8 miles from SMX on the extended centerline of runway 30. The airplane came to rest on a 040-degree magnetic heading in a flat open agricultural field (cabbage field) at the intersection of Division Road and Highway 1. The first identified point of contact (IPC) was the engines, which were buried in the ground. Investigators noted that both of the engines were equidistant from each other in their relative normal position when attached to their respective wings. The cockpit instruments were adjacent to the right engine. The fuselage of the airplane came to rest about 15 feet from the IPC. The left wing remained partially attached, and the right wing separated at the outboard section between the flap and ai ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9YB](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9YB-2018-01-24), registration cancelled 2018-01-24, S/N 30-597, built 1964 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-30 - Registry model: [Piper PA-30](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-30) (registry code 7103002) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-320-series) (registry code 41509, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 30-597 - Airframe hours: 4079.2 - Engines: Lycoming IO-320-B1A 160 horsepower reciprocating; Lycoming IO-320-B1A 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Mark T. Poindexter - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, November 1, 2002, 1,251.1 hours before - Departed: SMX, Santa Maria, CA - Destination: SMX ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 43; injuries: fatal; airline transport, flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1; last flight review February 1, 2002; seat: right; toxicology performed; flight hours: 8,058 total - Co-pilot; age 51; injuries: fatal; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3; seat: left; toxicology performed ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Dusk - Wind: 330° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 55 °F, dew point 46 °F - Altimeter: 30.04 inHg - Observed at: SMX, 8 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030221003009A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030221003009A), Feb 21, 2003: Piper PA30, Nipomo, CA, Destroyed, 2 fatal. (-23) Ot approximately 1800 local time on Friday, February 21, 2003, witnesses observed Piper N9YB, a PA-30, descend vertically at high speed and impact in a… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.