C182 Impacted Mountain After Cancelling IFR

Aero-News was saddened to learn this week of the loss of Paul Marchisotto, a vice-president with Northrop Grumman, as well as his wife and daughter in an apparent CFIT accident in northern California over Memorial Day weekend.

The Shasta County Sheriff's Office told the Associated Press the family's Cessna 182 (file photo of type, above) impacted Magee Peak, an 8,550-foot peak in the Thousand Lakes Wilderness Area about 50 miles north of Redding, last Saturday. The aircraft was en route from Long Beach to Fall River Mills in Shasta County.

The FAA Preliminary Report on the accident shows Marchisotto had been on an IFR flight plan, but cancelled IFR shortly after being told by ATC to climb to 9000 feet. The plane remained under VFR flight following.

Rescuers were flown in by helicopter Monday to recover the bodies of Marchisotto's wife, Linda -- who also worked at Northrop -- and daughter, Amy, Monday. They returned Tuesday to attempt to recover Marchisotto's body, CHP Officer Jason Watenpaugh said.

Paul Marchisotto had worked at Northrop Grumman for more than 20 years, and led several programs overseeing the B-2 stealth bomber and F-35 JSF. Most recently, Marchisotto led an advanced systems and technology team in Northrop's integrated systems division.

The Northrop website shows Marchisotto was attached to the Global Hawk and Hawkeye UAV programs, among others.

Linda Marchisotto was a senior materials and process engineer in Northrop's space technology division, according to company spokesman John Hart.

Northrop sector president Scott Seymour said Marchisotto was "passionate about his family, his friends, his work and his co-workers. His death is a huge personal loss to us as his extended family."

**   Report created 6/2/2006   Record 4
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IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 451JE        Make/Model: C182      Description: 182, Skylane
  Date: 05/29/2006     Time: 1530

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: REDDING   State: CA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  THE AIRCRAFT MADE ATC CONTACT AT 6000' IFR, AIRCRAFT WAS TOLD TO EXPECT
  HIGHER NORTH OF RBL. ATC ISSUED A CLIMB TO 9000 AND AIRCRAFT CANCELLED IFR.
  REMAINED FOR FLIGHT FOLLOWING. NO OTHER ATC INVOLVEMENT

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   3
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   2     Fat:   2     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: ROD 1953Z 26009K 10SM SCT 060 20/00 A2989

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Unknown      Operation: General Aviation

  Departed: LGB                         Dep Date: 05/27/2006   Dep. Time:     
  Destination: O89                      Flt Plan: BOTH (IFR/   Wx Briefing: U
  Last Radio Cont: 1944Z AIRCRAFT ADVISED CLIMBINT TO 10,500 HDG 355 DEGREES.
  Last Clearance: CANCELLED IFR REMAIN ON PRESENT CODE FOR FLIGHT FOLLOWING

  FAA FSDO: SACRAMENTO, CA  (WP25)                Entry date: 05/30/2006

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.northropgrumman.com