Another Mooney Down?

[bnicolette]

Just saw this come across the news wire.  They list it as a Pier Mooney????  

 

Tragic!

 

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Overdue-Mooney-Airplane-Julian-Volcan-Mountain-Preserve-227165721.html

 

[Marauder]

Looks like a daylight flight over very low IMC conditions...

 

Piper Mooney? http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/e685619a35684b969d763d922ad9bd39/CA--Missing-Plane-Found

[Bob_Belville]

Just saw this come across the news wire.  They list it as a Pier Mooney????  

 

Tragic!

 

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Overdue-Mooney-Airplane-Julian-Volcan-Mountain-Preserve-227165721.html

Pier -- Pi(p?)er. Looks like the usual reportage, get it out first, check facts later. (I imagine some told the reporter it was a low wing, a Piper or a Mooney...)

[fantom]

More of the same:

 

JULIAN, California — Authorities say two people were killed when their small plane crashed in the mountains near Julian.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department said the single-engine Piper Mooney went missing and was discovered early Thursday after a ground search.

 

The U-T San Diego (http://bit.ly/1abSGmT ) reports the plane left Palm Springs Wednesday and was headed for Gillespie Field when it lost contact.

 

Weather forecasters said there were gusty winds in the area, forcing sheriff's deputies to suspend their helicopter search.

A search-and-rescue team found the wreckage shortly before 1 a.m. in the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve, north of Julian.

The victims' names were not immediately released.

[flyboy0681]

I wonder if the police arrived on the scene in their Chevrolet Crown Victoria.

[carqwik]

Possibly M20E, N7145U, registered to Andrew Thulin.  Two dead, man and a woman.  RIP

[kortopates]

The plane was a 64 E model flown by Andy Thulin. He was accompanied by his girl friend and finance whose name I forget. They probably also had a small dog on board, Matisse. But last night when they found the wreckage at 12:45am they were unable to enter the cockpit due to the planes precarious position. I have a pilot friend who is a volunteer on the Sheriff Search and Rescue team that called me last night wondering if I knew Andy. Since I did, I was able to give them his cell phone number but could not remember his girlfriends name who I thought would be likely with him. He used to be my next door hangar neighbor when we were both at Montgomery, since then I moved to Gillespie and he too followed me over to the same hangars. ATC had notified SAR that they lost radar contact with him at 6:15pm and shortly thereafter they also picked up his ELT signal. So they launched a search for him immediately. They found him though by his cell phone and pretty much where his radar track ended. 

Andy was a instrument rated pilot, yet he never flew on an instrument flight plan but would often ask for a pop up IFR to land at Montgomery coming back over the mtns. The ironic thing about this tragedy is that all of us in the local area know all too well just how dangerous it is fly over the julian VOR on Volcan mountain when the winds are blowing strongly. Over the years downdrafts have brought down many aircraft. I had heard Volcan mountain saws winds as high at 75 mph yesterday although some of the accident news reports said 65 mph. (FWIW, Just a few miles south, V66 offers much less hazardous terrain to cross.) From my friend on the SAR team, they understand from the what they got from ATC that he was scud running under to get over the mountains into San Diego.

RIP Andy.

[co2bruce]

_{I'm sorry to hear this. Prayers to his family. We must all remember to fly safely, and not take unnecessary chances. Way too many accidents lately. RIP.}  

[bnicolette]

Thank you for all that information Paul and sorry for the loss of a friend.  It really strikes us hard when we know the pilot/persons that perished.  I'm sorry for all his friends & family.  It's hard to imagine what he was thinking especially being familiar with the hazards of the area or perhaps he just fell short in his preflight planning?  It reminds me a little of the pilot that perished in Angel Fire, NM but that guy knew exactly what he was getting into.

[Dave Marten]

Sorry Paul.

 

The front that pushed through SoCal yesterday resulted in some downright dangerous winds through the mountains and passes. 

 

Lesson re-learned: Continued VFR through lowering cielings and mountain obscuration at sunset with undoubtedly significant turbulence and wind shear is a reciepe for disaster.

 

Too many CA based pilots neglect the effects of the mountainous terrain in which they fly. It seems we have atleast one SoCal CFIT in the coastal ranges annually.

 

Get-home-itis can be fatal....an overnight in Palm Springs could have been the cure...as always, the weather is beautiful this morning.. 

 

FLY SAFE!

[kmyfm20s]

Paul,

 

Thanks for the information, being based at Montgomery I did not know them but traggic non the less!  I usally fly V66 to go to my office in the dessert but elected not to because of the horrible flying conditions. When I was driving home yesterday on the east side of the mountains there was one continuis lenticular type clouds following the entire mountain range with rotar clouds up against the mountains. At around 5:45pm I was in fog over the mountains directly under V66 with very powerful winds. I could only think JLI was worse. I happened to check the ASOS at KMYF out of curousity at the time and it was OVC060 BKN045 FEW015 3/4 VIS and heavy rain. I can't remember the wind but it was very windy.  I have an assitant that usually flies with me and she asked if it was even possible to fly in this weather and I responded not for us thats why we drove.