# NTSB LAX05FA184: Bellanca 14-13-3, N6511N, Caliente, CA, May 20, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: May 20, 2005, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC) - Place: Caliente, CA - Coordinates: 35.288887, -118.593612 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.2889&lon=-118.5936&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 2 fatal - Status: Completed, report August 29, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 61557 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX05FA184 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61557/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05FA184 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions and failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance, which resulted in controlled flight into the terrain. Contributing factors were the pilots' delayed decision to reverse course, the low clouds which obscured the rising terrain. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight encounter with weather, cruise - weather condition - low ceiling (contributing factor) - weather condition - obscuration (contributing factor) - vfr flight into imc - inadvertent, pilot in command (cause) - delayed, pilot in command (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, cruise - terrain condition - mountainous/hilly (contributing factor) - terrain condition - rising (contributing factor) - altitude/clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) ## Analysis The airplane impacted terrain while cruising in controlled flight (CFIT) after the pilot(s) reversed course upon encountering instrument meteorological conditions. Both of the pilots held commercial pilot certificates, but neither were instrument-rated. The flight was performed to relocate the airplane to the pilot-owner's home base airport. No witnesses to the accident were identified. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the departure airport beneath an overcast sky condition. Based on an evaluation of the weather conditions, the projected route between the departure and destination, and the impact heading of the airplane, and as the terrain elevation increased, the pilots most likely encountered less maneuvering room between the terrain and the overlying clouds, and they would have inadvertently entered instrument meteorological conditions. The pilots reversed course to a westerly direction and commenced flying back toward their departure airport. The underlying terrain was also obscured by clouds, and the airplane's clearance from the terrain was inadequate, resulting in a collision with mountainous terrain. A motorist, who held a private pilot certificate and was driving in a westerly direction near the accident site, reported that the roadway "was foggy" and his visibility was at most 1 mile. The motorist stated his elevation was about 3,000 feet mean sea level (msl). An examination of the accident site, elevation 2,380 feet msl, revealed the airplane impacted upsloping terrain while in a right bank, and with a near level pitch attitude. Thereafter, the airplane cart wheeled. The distance between the initial point of impact and the farthest component of wreckage was nearly 800 feet. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction was found. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 20, 2005, at an undetermined time between 1030 and 1500 Pacific daylight time a Bellanca 14-13-3, N6511N, impacted a hilltop while cruising about 1.7 nautical miles (nm) east of Caliente, California. The airplane was destroyed. The two occupants on board were fatally injured, and they both held commercial pilot certificates. The airplane was owned and operated by one of the pilots. The second pilot was also an aviation mechanic. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the vicinity of the accident site. The personal flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilots' intended destination was Tehachapi, California, about 75 nm southeast of Exeter, California. The flight originated from the Thunderhawk Field, Exeter, at an undetermined time between 1015 and 1315. (The departure and accident times listed in the National Transportation Safety Board's Accident Data Management System (ADMS) form are estimated.) A certified flight instructor (CFI) reported to the Safety Board investigator that she co-owned the Exeter Airport, which was uncontrolled. On May 20, at 1015, she had observed the airplane at Exeter, and she spoke with its owner. Thereafter, she took off for a flight to San Diego. The CFI stated that the accident airplane was no longer at Exeter upon her return at 1315. According to the CFI, since October 24, 2004, the airplane had been located at Exeter for repairs resulting from the pilot-owner's gear up landing at the airport. The CFI stated the mishap occurred when the pilot-owner was low on fuel and mistook Exeter for Porterville, a neighboring airport. During the following months, the pilot and his mechanic had made several trips from Tehachapi, where the airplane was based, to Exeter. The purpose of the trips was to perform repairs to the pilot's airplane. The accident flight was the first following the repairs. No witnesses reported observing the accident. When the accident pilots did not arrive home, concerned parties initiated a search. The wreckage was located the following day on upsloping hilly terrain, about 12 nm northwest of Tehachapi. PERSONNEL INFORMATION Pilot, Airplane Owner. The pilot was the registered owner of the airplane, and he held a commercial pilot certificate with the following ratings and limitations: airplane single and multiengine land, airplane single engine sea. The only logbook provided to the Safety Board investigator for review was a logbook entitled "#3." It bore the pilot's name. The logbook included a record of the pilot's flying activities from February 28, 1998, through October 24, 2004, which was the last entry. No evidence of a flight review or any flying endorsement was listed. Regarding the "Type of Pilot Time" listing, all flights were logged in this section as either having been performed as "Pilot In Command Including Solo" or the type of flying was left blank. All entries from January 10, 1999, through June 30, 2002, were logged as being "Pilot In Command." No "Dual Received" flight hours or certified flight instructor certificate numbers/names were listed in the logbook. The last 45 entries recorded in the logbook covered the timeframe from June 20, 2004, through October 24, 2004. During this period, the pilot logged about 30 hours of flight time. All of the entries indicated the airplane used was N6511N. A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) medical records indicated that on December 16, 1992, the pilot reported to the FAA that his total flight time was 775 hours. He indicated having flown 50 hours during the previous 6 months. No more recent record indicating the pilot's flight time or currency was located. An acquaintance of the pilot reported to the Safety Board investigator that during the 2-year period immediately preceding the May 20, 2005, airplane accident, she had ridden in the pilot's airplane as a passenger while he flew it. No other persons were in the airplane during the flight. The flight was performed from the Tehachapi Airport. The acquaintance further reported that the pilot had also taken her son flying on two occasions during the past couple of years. According to FAA airman records, the pilot was issued a private pilot certificate in 1957. In the pilot's personal effects found at the crash site were the following items: (1) the pilot's FAA commercial pilot certificate bearing a last issuance date of April 13, 1959; (2) a biennial flight review card indicating completion of a BFR on November 12, 1990, and a third-class aviation medical certificate bearing a December 16, 1992, examination date and the statement "not valid for any class after May 31, 1994." The pilot's flight hours listed in the Safety Board's "Accident Data Management System" (ADMS) Flight Time Matrix for this factual report was estimated. Pilot, Airplane Mechanic. In 1970, the pilot was issued a private pilot certificate. Subsequently, the pilot obtained a commercial pilot certificate with the following ratings: airplane single engine land, and airplane multiengine land. In addition, the pilot held a mechanic certificate with an airframe and powerplant rating, issued in 1992. On applications for FAA medical certificates, the pilot reported that his total flight time was 2,000 hours in 1979. In 1983, he reported that his total flight time was 3,000 hours, and he indicated having flown 10 hours during the preceding 6 months. In 1991, the pilot again reported that his total flight time was 2,000 hours. Between 1992 and 2000, the pilot's flight time was variously reported as being between 2,040 and 3,500 hours. However, during this period he indicated that his flying time during each of the 6-month periods that preceded his medical certificate application ranged from zero to a maximum of 20 hours. The pilot's recent flying experience was not ascertained. The pilot's flight hours listed in the Safety Board's ADMS Flight Time Matrix for this factual report was estimated. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The Bellanca model 14-13-3 airplane, serial number 1630, was manufactured in 1949. The airplane was equipped with dual flight controls. It could be flown from either of the front seats. No maintenance records were provided to the Safety Board investigator for examination. According to the CFI at the Exeter Airport, the pilot's airplane had been parked there for several months while undergoing maintenance. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION According to the CFI, when she departed Exeter at 1015, and upon her return at 1315, the weather over Exeter was essentially the same. The airport's elevation is 340 feet mean sea level (msl). There was a broken sky condition with clouds based between 2,000 and 3,000 feet msl. The visibility was between 8 and 10 miles. Another pilot reported to the Safety Board investigator that about 1400 he had landed at Tehachapi. At the time, the sky condition (overhead) was clear. There appeared to be an overcast cloud layer in the Bakersfield area of the San Joaquin Valley, and scattered clouds were approaching the Tehachapi airport from the west. The pilot additionally reported that within 10 minutes of securing his airplane, he was unable to see the end of the runway. At this time another airplane that had been approaching to land diverted to a nearby airport. During the next 2 hours, the haze and scattered cloud layer moved over and then away from the airport environment. About 1500, a motorist was driving in a northwesterly direction on Highway 58 and was located between 5 and 12 miles northwest of Tehachapi. The motorist reported that he held a private pilot certificate and was employed as a civil engineer. According to the motorist the roadway "was foggy," and his visibility was at most 1 mile. The motorist stated his approximate elevation was ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6511N](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6511N-2006-04-05), registration cancelled 2006-04-05, S/N 1630, built 1949 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Bellanca 14-13-3 - Registry model: [Bellanca 14-13-3](https://openairdocs.org/model/bellanca-14-13-3) (registry code 1201006) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Franklin 6A4150 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/franklin-6a4150-series) (registry code 27024, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 1630 - Engines: Franklin 6A4-150-B3 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Robert L. Hedlund - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: O63, Exeter, CA - Destination: TSP, Tehachapi, CA ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 72; injuries: fatal; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, multi-engine land, single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review November 1, 1990; seat: front; toxicology performed; flight hours: 800 total, 70 in this make and model, 780 as pilot in command - Pilot; age 57; injuries: fatal; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; toxicology performed; flight hours: 2,000 total ## Weather - Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Day - Wind: 350° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 3,100 ft overcast - Temperature: 72 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 30.03 inHg - Observed at: BFL, 24 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 20050520010949A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050520010949A), May 20, 2005: Blanca 14133, Caliente, CA, Destroyed, 2 fatal. (-23) On may 20, 2005, at an undetermined time between 1030 and 1500, a Bellanca 14-13-3, N6511N, impacted a hilltop east of Caliente, California. The airplane… 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.