LAX05FA193

The airplane departed from controlled flight during a missed approach and collided with hilly terrain. The non-instrument rated private pilot departed, at night, to an airport located about 40 miles to the north. While en route, the pilot contacted the terminal radar approach control (TRACON) specialist on duty and was subsequently advised that weather conditions were IFR at the pilot's intended destination airport. The pilot responded by saying he was going to try to find a VFR route. A review of archived radar data revealed that the accident airplane flew to various locations around the accident airport at altitudes above the underlying overcast cloud layer. The pilot then contacted the TRACON specialist and requested the ILS runway 16R approach at the accident airport. A review of air-to-ground communications tapes, transcripts, and archived radar data, revealed that the accident pilot was unable to intercept the glide slope and localizer for the ILS approach to runway 16R, or to maintain an assigned altitude or heading. Examination of the radar data for the pilot's attempted ILS approach showed that the airplane crossed the final approach course, 161 degrees, from the west between the initial approach fix and the outer marker. The airplane's track overshot the final approach course to the east and then corrected back so that it was on course at the outer marker. The track then deviated to the east again and corrected back to the final approach course, which was then followed by a 90-degree turn away from the final approach course to the west. The track proceeded westerly for 27 seconds, climbing from 2,100 to 2,500 feet and then down to 2,400 feet. The track turned south for 32 seconds, climbing from 2,400 feet to 3,000 feet. The last leg of the track proceeded northwesterly for the final 12 seconds, and the altitude descended from 3,000 feet to 2,600 feet, to 2,400 feet, to the accident elevation at 1,253 feet. Impact forces destroyed the airplane. According to the airplane's owner, the attitude gyro indicated a 10-degree left angle of bank when the airplane was in level flight. No preaccident mechanical anomalies were discovered during the investigation. At the time of the accident the reported weather was 1,400 feet overcast, with tops estimated at 3,000 feet. The weather forecast products available at the time of the pilot's departure predicted marginal VFR to IFR conditions at the destination, with ceilings occasionally below 1,000 feet and visibilities below 3 miles.

History of flight

On June 1, 2005, at 2306 Pacific daylight time, a Mooney M20C, N6574U, collided with terrain while executing the ILS RWY 16 localizer instrument approach at Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys, California. The private pilot operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured; the airplane was destroyed. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The personal flight originated at Orange County Airport, California, at 2145, and was en route to the Whiteman Airport, Los Angeles, California.

Airport surveillance radar from Long Beach and Burbank recorded the airplane's flight path for a majority of the flight. The radar record picks the airplane up at 2145:24, with a transponder code of 0222, off Orange Country Airport at 100 feet mean sea level (msl). The track proceeds north at 1,400 feet msl, and at 2151:43, the transponder code is changed to 1200. The track continues its northerly course at 4,300 feet to La Harbra Heights, and then turns northwest towards Pasadena. At 2209:54, the track stops over Placerita Canyon State Park. The track is reacquired over Santa Clarita at 2218:54, at an altitude of 2,500 feet msl. The track proceeds southeast in a loop climbing to 3,500 feet over the I-5 freeway and Highway 14 intersection, and then backtracking northwest over Santa Clarita, where the track stops at 2226:52, 2,800 feet msl. The track is reacquired at 2227:38, at 3,200 feet over Santa Clarita. From this point the track proceeds southwest over Simi Valley at 4,900 feet, then northwest up to Filmore at 5,000 feet msl, west over Santa Paula, reverses course to proceed east along Hwy 126 to Santa Clarita at 4,500 feet where the track stops at 2257:04, and 3,200 feet msl. The last segment of the track is acquired at 2257:27, at 4,500 feet, and proceeds east, then turns directly south towards the San Fernando Pass and Van Nuys Airport along the final approach course of the VNY ILS RWY16 published approach. At 2304:22, about 5 miles north of the Van Nuys Airport, the track turns abruptly west and ends at the accident location 1 minute 14 seconds later.

Southern California TRACON controllers were in contact with the pilot during the majority of the flight. Upon initial contact the pilot and controller discussed the weather conditions, and the controller advised that conditions everywhere were IFR (instrument flight rules). The pilot proceeded north saying he intended to try to find a VFR (visual flight rules) route, and if he could not he would return and land. At 2256:19, the pilot contacted SoCal Approach at 5,000 feet over Santa Clarita and requested an ILS (instrument landing system) approach to Van Nuys runway 16R. At 2256:53, the controller instructed the pilot to proceed to the final approach course and squawk 5213. At 2258:04, the controller established radar contact 1 mile east of Magic Mountain, told the pilot to maintain VFR, and to expect IFR once he's on the localizer. The controller gave the pilot a heading of 130 to intercept the localizer, and said he was cleared IFR once he was established on the localizer, and cleared for the ILS approach in to Van Nuys. At 2300:23, the controller advised the pilot that he was left (east) of centerline. The pilot responded that he was correcting. At 2301:38, the controller advised the pilot to change frequencies and make his landing announcement on the tower frequency of 119.3. The pilot acknowledged. At 2304:42, the pilot announced on the SoCal Approach frequency that the he had some problems and he was climbing out. The controller gave instructions to proceed southbound, climb, and maintain 5,000 feet. The controller made two radio calls before the pilot responded, and the pilot said only that he was climbing to 5,000 feet. That was the last communication with the pilot. The pilot never specified what the problem was.

The owner of the airplane told the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he had spoken to the pilot just before he left San Jose on the morning of June 1st. The pilot planned to leave San Jose Airport and fly to Orange County Airport, meet a friend for dinner, then fly to Whiteman Airport, where he normally operates. They discussed the weather, and the owner advised the pilot to monitor the weather closely. Whiteman Airport is about 4 miles northeast of Van Nuys Airport.

Personnel information

A review of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman records revealed that the pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single engine land rating dated October 30, 2004. The pilot did not hold an instrument rating.

The pilot held a third-class medical certificate that was issued on May 28, 2005. It had the restriction that the pilot must wear corrective lenses.

Examination of a copy of the pilot logbook revealed that he had 205.6 hours of flight time as of his last entry dated January 30, 2005. The total amount of simulated instrument time was 11.5 hours and no actual instrument time was recorded. The last entry that recorded an instrument flight was on May 2, 2004. The pilot's latest biannual flight review was dated November 1, 2003.

Aircraft information

The airplane was a 1963 Mooney M20C, serial number 2431, which operated a Lycoming O-360-A1D engine. A review of the airplane's logbook revealed a total airframe time of 5,419.0 hours as of December 13, 2004. The last annual inspection was dated August 14, 2004, at 5,296.26 hours total time. The engine, serial number L-5776-36, had a total time of 1,786.4 hours since maintenance overhaul (SMOH) as of the last oil change on December 13, 2004.

The owner reported to the Safety Board investigator that the pilot had the attitude gyro overhauled. An invoice from Global Tech documents that the attitude gyro was overhauled on April 15, 2005. The attitude gyro, manufactured by RC Allen, is an electrically powered unit. There was no entry in the airframe logbook of the attitude gyro being removed and replaced but the owner said he thought the pilot had installed it himself. The airplane owner also said that the pilot had mentioned to him that the overhauled attitude gyro was not performing correctly. Numerous digital pictures of the instrument panel recovered from the pilot's camera, and provided to the Safety Board by the airplane's owner, show the airplane in level flight, and the attitude gyro indicates a 10-degree left angle of bank. The file date on the digital pictures was May 19, 2005.

Meteorological information

Synoptic Situation

A Surface Analysis chart prepared by the National Weather Service (NWS) National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) for 2300 on June 1 showed weak onshore flow and high relative humidity along the central California coast.

Surface Weather Observations

Surface weather observations for Van Nuys and surrounding airports, in part, follow:

Van Nuys Airport (KVNY), Van Nuys, California

field elevation 802 feet msl, located approximately 157 degrees at 5 nautical miles from the accident location, augmented Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS), destination airport

Time-2251; type-METAR; wind 150 degrees at 6 knots; visibility 6 miles; present weather-haze; sky condition overcast 1,400 feet; temperature 16 degrees Celsius; dew point 13 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 29.82 inHg; remarks none

Time-2351; type-METAR; wind 150 degrees at 6 knots; visibility 6 miles; present weather mist; sky condition overcast 1,200 feet; temperature 16 degrees Celsius; dew point 13 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 29.83 inHg; remarks none

Whiteman Airport (KWHP), Los Angeles, California

Field elevation 1,003 feet msl, located approximately 107 degrees at 6 nautical miles from the accident location, manual

Time-1950; type-METAR; wind calm; visibility 6 miles; present weather haze; sky condition sky c