SEA99FA152

History of flight

On August 29, 1999, approximately 1330 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna T210M, N747CC, impacted a densely forested hillside while descending through multiple cloud layers about eight miles northeast of Marcola, Oregon. The student pilot and his two passengers received fatal injuries, and the aircraft, which was owned and operated by B&B Aviation, Inc., of King City, California, was destroyed by the impact. The 14 CFR Part 91 business flight, which departed Mesa Del Ray Airport, King City, California, about 1000, was en route to Aurora State Airport, Aurora, Oregon. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.

According to family members, on the day of the accident, the pilot and two business associates were en route to Aurora in order to meet with individuals involved in the growing of garlic. During the departure from King City, the pilot did not make use of FAA services, but he did contact Oakland Center for flight-following while en route. According to the FAA, the pilot made no in-flight contacts with FAA weather updating facilities during the time he was receiving flight advisories from Oakland Center. At 1200, Oakland Center handed the flight off to Seattle Center, and at 1217 the pilot received permission to leave Seattle's frequency in order to talk with McMinnville Automated Flight Service Station. Upon contacting McMinnville, the pilot asked for information on the weather conditions in the southern Willamette Valley and on up to Aurora. He was informed by the flight service specialist that there was a frontal system moving into western Oregon, and that there were airman's meteorological information advisories (AIRMETS) for his position northward. He was further advised that the AIRMETS called for the possibility of anything west of the Cascade Range to be obscured in clouds and precipitation, and that there was a pattern of stratus and patchy local IFR conditions in the Willamette Valley. The flight service briefer then asked the pilot if he could "...do this IFR if necessary," and the pilot responded with "Yeah, we probably can, but we prefer to just fly under it." The pilot then stated that he was near Klamath Falls, and that although the clouds there were scattered, he could tell that it was getting "...a little more solid up the road." He then asked if there were scattered or broken conditions in the southern Willamette Valley, and was informed that "VFR flight is not recommended into the Willamette Valley and below the cloud layer." The briefer then informed him that there was a wide-spread multi-layered cloud cover associated with the trough, and that local ceilings were down to 700 feet above ground level (AGL), with visibility's as low as one and three-quarter miles, for all of the route from Eugene north. In addition, the briefer gave him the current Aurora automated weather, which included a ceiling of 3,000 feet overcast, and advised him that other pilots had reported the top of the cloud structure was as high as 7,500 feet and extended as far south as Medford VOR.

The pilot then asked for the current weather at Medford, and the briefer advised him that Medford was reporting clear below 12,000 feet. Along with the Medford conditions, the briefer told the pilot that north of Medford, toward Roseburg and Sexton Summit, there were locally IFR conditions, with ceilings of 1,300 broken to overcast, with light rain. Then, after advising the pilot that Roseburg was currently reporting VFR, and suggesting he go to frequency 122.0 for "...detailed weather updates and pilot reports," the briefer advised the pilot that according to other pilots flying in the area, the weather north and south of Roseburg was well under the reported Roseburg conditions. About 1223, the pilot checked back in with Seattle Center, and there was no record of him seeking further weather updates from Flight Watch on frequency 122.0 MHz.

At 1310, the flight was handed off to Cascade Approach, and about 1320, while the aircraft was just southwest of Eugene, the pilot advised the approach controller that he was starting his approach down into Aurora. While the aircraft was descending, the controller asked the pilot if he would like an IFR clearance, and the pilot responded with, "We're kind of coming down through some multiple layers here. I think we'll be alright." The controller responded by telling him to maintain VFR.

As the pilot continued the descent to the northeast, the controller again reminded him to maintain VFR, and then about two minutes later advised the pilot that flight following was being canceled because "...your getting a little bit below my coverage and Seattle Center's coverage also." The pilot responded by saying he would "squawk 1200." The controller then advised him that, "If you need any help, contact Seattle Center on 125.8." The pilot's acknowledgement of the controller's suggestion was his last known transmission. Recorded radar tracking data provided by the FAA shows that the pilot had switched to the 1200 transponder code by 1328:30, and that the aircraft was about two miles southwest of the impact point, at 2,800 feet MSL, at 1328:55.

When the pilot failed to return home the next day as scheduled, family members notified authorities, and a search was initiated. As part of the search process, recorded radar data from Seattle Center was reviewed to determine where the aircraft's radar track ended. During an aerial search near where the radar track terminated, a portion of the aircraft's wing was spotted in a 130 foot tall coniferous tree.

Personnel information

At the time of the accident, the pilot held a student pilot certificate (#EE-002060463) which was initially issued on March 17, 1997. His last FAA airmen medical was completed on April 30, 1999, and contained no restrictions or waivers.

Meteorological information

The aviation surface weather observation for Eugene, located about 25 miles southwest of the accident site, which was taken at 1256, about one hour prior to the accident, indicated winds from 310 degrees magnetic at eight knots, seven statute miles visibility, light rain, a ceiling of 1,500 feet broken, 2,400 overcast, temperature 17 degrees Celsius, dewpoint 14 degrees Celsius, with an altimeter setting of 30.03 inches of mercury, and a visibility on runway 34 of two and one-half miles.

The 1315 Eugene observation showed the same winds, with six miles visibility, light rain, 1,200 broken, 2,000 overcast, with no change in the temperature/dewpoint spread or the altimeter setting.

The 1400 Eugene observation reported winds 010 at 9 knots, 10 miles visibility, 1,200 broken, 2,000 overcast, temperature 17 degrees and dewpoint 14, with no change in the altimeter setting.

The 1356 observation at Salem, which is located about 45 miles northwest of the accident site, indicated winds from 050 at six knots, 10 miles visibility, 900 feet broken, 1,500 broken, 4,000 overcast, temperature 16, dewpoint 14, and an altimeter of 30.04.

A 0.65 um visual image taken by the GOES-10 satellite at 1045 on the day of the accident (attached) shows no clouds, except for coastal stratus, from approximately the Klamath Falls area south through northern and central California. The same image shows significant cloud cover between the Cascade Range and the Pacific Ocean stretching from the Klamath Falls area north into Canada.

During the investigation, the Investigator-in-charge (IIC) interviewed the pilot of a Lane County Sheriff's helicopter, who had been operating in the area near the accident site at the time the aircraft was lost from radar. According to this individual, he departed Eugene about 1115 and operated in the area around Wendling, which is located about three miles from the accident site, until about 1330. He reported that he had trouble getting into the area because of low clouds with jagged, uneven bases. He said there was a solid