Piper PA-32R-301T accident near Ceres, CA
On February 11, 1995, a Piper PA-32R-301T (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ceres, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 11, 1995
- Place
- Ceres, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-301T · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.651°N, 121.130°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X02977
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 10, 1995, at 1954 hours Pst (all times in this report are Pacific standard time based on the 24-hour clock), a Piper PA-32R-301T, N560LM, crashed in an almond grove in Ceres, California. The crash site is about 3 miles southeast of Harry Sham Field, Modesto, California. The pilot obtained an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance and was executing an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to Harry Sham Field, runway 28R. The airplane, registered to and operated by the pilot, was destroyed by impact forces and the resulting postcrash fire; several almond trees were destroyed. The certificated private pilot and his passenger sustained fatal injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight departed Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area from an undetermined airport at an undetermined time. The pilot's family told National Transportation Safety Board investigators that he and his wife departed Modesto for Phoenix on February 6, 1995. On February 10, 1995, the pilot called his secretary and told her that he would be returning to Modesto that day, but he was intending to stop in the Los Angeles, California, area and conduct some business. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic division records show that the pilot obtained a weather briefing from Prescott (Arizona) Flight Service Station at 0614 hours. At 1607 hours, the pilot contacted the Luke Air Force Base (AFB) radar approach control. The sector controller had received an automated handoff from the Phoenix Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) at 1604 hours.
Probable cause
the pilot inadvertently becoming lost/disoriented during a missed approach, his failure to follow the proper missed approach procedure, and his failure to maintain control of the aircraft due to spatial disorientation.
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Browse: California · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
