Novato-Gnoss Field

The pilot was cleared for a GPS approach. He stated that he was too high to make a good landing, so he opted for a circling approach to another runway. As he turned for the base leg, he lost visual contact and became disoriented. It was a dark night with no moon. The pilot realized that he was in a 70- to 80-degree left bank and returned the airplane to a level attitude, then noticed the ground directly in front of him. The aircraft ran through a barbed wire fence, collided with trees, and slid rearward to a stop in a high altitude meadow east of the airport. The FAA completed an evaluation of the circling approach procedures and night operations for that airport and did not find any problems.

The airplane was on a VFR dusk cross-country flight when it collided with the 1,500-foot level of a hill. Radar data showed the aircraft in a descent from 2,000 feet until radar contact was lost about 1,500 feet msl, with a final ground speed of 194 knots. The route taken by the pilot was about 5 miles west of the route that the company pilots routinely flew, but while crossing higher terrain, it was a more direct route to the destination. A company pilot flying a few minutes ahead of the accident flight reported it was necessary to descend to between 1,200 and 1,500 feet msl in order to maintain VFR. A low-pressure system approaching the area from the west had resulted in low stratus, rain, and fog. At the time of the accident, a nearby weather reporting facility reported a 1,300-foot broken ceiling with 5- to 6-mile visibility in light rain and mist. On the evening of the accident, the pilot was scheduled to give a speech as her final examination in an evening college course. She had informed the instructor that she might be late, but had been told that he could not hold the class past its scheduled dismissal time to accommodate her late arrival.

After departing San Jose, CA, the pilot climbed to an altitude of 4,600 feet msl and proceeded toward Novato, CA. From 1528 to 1533 PST, radar data showed that the aircraft was level at 4,600 feet on a heading of 330° at 180 FTS ground speed. Radar info showed that the aircraft then entered a descent. During a 24 seconds period, the aircraft descended to an altitude of 4,100 feet msl and its heading changed 10° to the right. The last radar position, 12 seconds later, revealed an additional heading change of 150° to the right, accompanied by a descent to 2,300 (9000 from descent). Witnesses saw the aircraft descending at high speed in a right turn with the engines at high power. Just prior to impact, the right bank angle and nose low attitude increased. The aircraft crashed in a steep nose down, right wing low, attitude. No preimpact, mechanical malfunction or failure was found. No autopsy was made, only a gross exam of the pilot's fragmented body was possible. Before departing San Jose, the pilot had remarked that he was bothered by a bad cold. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

En route from Auburn to Novato, both engines stopped almost simultaneously. The pilot attempted to make an emergency landing when the airplane struck tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located near Vacaville, about 31 miles northeast of Novato-Gnoss Field. All five occupants were killed.

After a special VFR flight plan was cancelled out of Hamilton AFB control zone, the crew started the descent to Novato-Gnoss Field under VFR mode in adverse weather conditions. On approach, the twin engine airplane struck the slope of a mountain and was destroyed. The wreckage was found two days later and both pilots were killed. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were poor with low ceiling, rain falls and fog.