N20480

On December 20, 2003, at 1550 Pacific standard time, a Beech B55 twin-engine airplane, N20480, made a precautionary landing due to a low fuel situation in an open field near Angwin, California. During the landing the airplane encountered soft dirt, and the landing gear was sheared off. The private pilot/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the majority of the cross-country flight that departed the Lake Havasu City Airport (HII), Lake Havasu City, Arizona, at 1245 mountain standard time. The flight was scheduled to terminate at the Placerville Airport (PVF), Placerville, California, and a flight plan had not been filed.

Sacramento, California, elevation 27 feet mean sea level (msl), is located about 060 degrees at 33 nautical miles from the accident location. Weather conditions reported in the Sacramento area were: winds out of the east between 5 and 7 knots; visibility 2 to 3 miles with mist; overcast ceilings from 600 to 700 feet; temperature of 52 degrees Fahrenheit; and dew point of 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Santa Rosa, California, elevation 125 feet msl, is located about 240 degrees at 26 nautical miles from the accident location. Weather conditions reported in the Santa Rosa area were: winds from the west at 4 knots; visibility 1 1/2 miles in rain showers and mist; broken cloud layers between 600 and 800 feet, and 1,000 and 1,500 feet; overcast ceilings between 1,700 and 2,000 feet; temperature of 52 degrees Fahrenheit; and dew point of 52 degrees Fahrenheit.

A Safety Board investigator interviewed the pilot, who stated that the purpose of the flight was to visit friends in the PVF area. Prior to the flight the pilot received a weather briefing from Prescott Automated Flight Service Station (PRC AFSS). The briefer told the pilot that the weather was clear for his route of flight.

About 50 miles outside of PVF the weather started to deteriorate. The pilot contacted PVF UNICOM, who told him that the weather was "zero, zero." At that point he decided to divert to Sacramento. He received a special visual flight rules (SVFR) approach to the Sacramento airport. The pilot stated that at that time there were a lot of radio calls. He was uncomfortable with the approach, so he aborted the landing. He informed the tower controller that he was going to go to an alternate airport.

The pilot contacted Travis approach and told them he was diverting toward the Oakland, California, area. When he was over Oakland, he saw a hole in the clouds. He informed Travis that he was going to go through the hole in the clouds.

The pilot stated that the airplane was getting low on fuel, and it had started to rain heavily. His intent was to look for a place to make a precautionary landing. He over flew the Angwin area near Lake Berryessa for 40 minutes before he found an open field. On the landing rollout the airplane crossed over a wash. While crossing the wash, the wheels were caught in the soft dirt, and the landing gear sheared off. The airplane came to rest upright. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane or engine.