Redding Aero Enterprises

While the pilot was on a visual approach to the airport and descending over water on the left base leg, about 100 ft above the water's surface, the airplane entered instrument meteorological conditions with no forward visibility. The pilot looked outside his left window to gauge the airplane's altitude and saw "black waves of water approaching extremely rapidly." He tried to pull back on the yoke to initiate a climb, but the nosewheel contacted the water. Subsequently, the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted in the water. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The airplane collided with obstructions following a loss of power in one engine during a missed approach. Following the collision sequence the airplane came to rest upright about 500 feet from the approach end of the runway and was destroyed in a post-impact ground fire. The pilot told a responding sheriff's deputy and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector that he made the ILS approach to land and initiated a missed approach. When he added power, the left engine sputtered and the airplane veered to the left. He activated the fuel boost pump, but the airplane contacted obstructions and crashed. The responding sheriff's deputy also observed the accident. He heard an engine of an airplane making unusual sounds. The engine "seemed to get quiet and then revved higher as if to climb." He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a series of blue flashes and then an orange fireball. The deputy reported that there was a dense fog in the area at the time. At the time of the accident, the airport's weather conditions were reported as 100 feet overcast and 1/4-mile visibility in fog. The landing minimums for the ILS approach are 200 feet and 1/2-mile. According to the operator's records, when the airplane departed from Ukiah, its gross takeoff weight was about 5,909 pounds. The pilot operating handbook (POH) for the airplane lists the following items in the single engine go around checklist: 1) Throttle full forward; 2) wing flaps up; 3) when positive climb rate achieved, gear up; 4) ensure the inoperative engine is feathered. For a gross weight of 5,900 pounds, and the existing atmospheric conditions, the single engine climb performance chart shows an expected positive rate of climb of 500 feet per minute if the airplane was configured correctly. The chart also lists the following subtractions from that performance for the listed condition: 1) -400 fpm for wind milling inoperative engine; 2) -350 feet for landing gear down; 3) -200 fpm for flaps extended to 15 degrees. Examination of the wreckage disclosed that neither engine's propeller was feathered, the landing gear was down and the flaps were extended to 10 degrees. Without the airplane configured correctly for the single engine missed approach, the net climb performance would be a negative 400 feet per minute. There were no discrepancies noted with the airframe examination. The engine examination revealed no mechanical anomalies with either engine that would have precluded normal operation. 14 CFR 135.224 states that a pilot cannot initiate an approach if the weather conditions are below landing minimums if the approach is started outside of the final approach fix. The pilot can continue the landing if they are already established on the approach and the airport goes below landing minimums. According to the operator's FAA approved operating specifications, the operator had not been approved for lower than standard landing minimums.

The aircraft collided with trees and mountainous terrain about 9,500 feet msl. The wreckage was spread across the lee side of a mountain, in a grassy meadow surrounded by high mountainous terrain on all sides. The area, about 100 feet in front of the aircraft, was a rocky embankment which sloped upward approximately 30 degrees. About 100 feet from the tail of the aircraft, the terrain dropped off into a steep cliff, which sloped down about 65 degrees. At the base of the cliff was a valley, which was about 1/4 mile wide. The farthest piece of debris was found 410 feet away from the main wreckage site in a grove of trees. Fifteen tree disturbances were noted in the grove. The first disturbance began near the tops of the trees and continued in a descending path. Much of the airframe exhibited semicircular impressions consistent with the trunk diameters of the disturbed trees at the accident site. Organic material transfer was evident in the impressions. An analysis of the meteorological data showed that a clear or scattered cloud condition was likely in the accident area, and visibility was probably unrestricted. It also showed that an extended north-northwestward/south-southeastward cloud band was located over the Sierra Nevada Mountains about 9 to 10 miles southwest through west of the accident location around the time of the accident. The analysis estimated that the winds aloft at 10,000 to 12,000 feet msl in the mountains were from approximately 270 degrees at 40 to 45 knots. Further, moderate or greater turbulence and strong updrafts and downdrafts were reported along the pilot's route of flight. No mechanical discrepancies were found with the airframe or either engine during the postaccident examination.