Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Goleta, CA
On June 7, 1996, a Piper PA-32R-300 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Goleta, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 7, 1996
- Place
- Goleta, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.500°N, 120.119°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X06017
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 7, 1996, at 1043 hours Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300, N4303X, registered to Condor Air Limited, Wilmington, Delaware, crashed into the Pacific Ocean and sank about 8.9 statute miles west of the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, Santa Barbara, California. The accident occurred in instrument meteorological weather conditions during an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 07 at Santa Barbara. The airplane was destroyed, and the two instrument rated private pilots were fatally injured. The personal flight originated from Santa Ynez, California, at an estimated time of 1030. The distance between the Santa Ynez and the Santa Barbara airports via the Gaviota Vortac (navigation aid) and the Habit intersection (approach fix) is approximately 24 nautical miles (nm). At 1034:43, the pilot of N4303X contacted the Santa Barbara radar controller, indicated that he had just departed from Santa Ynez, and requested an approach (clearance) to Santa Barbara. The controller identified the airplane located 1 mile southeast of Gaviota, issued the pilot an instrument clearance to Santa Barbara, and instructed the pilot to descend to 3,000 feet mean sea level (msl). Recorded radar data from the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) indicated that at 1036:00 the airplane was at 3,700 feet. The controller cleared the pilot for an ILS approach at 1037:16. No acknowledgment was heard by the controller, and at 1037:30, the controller said ". . . zero three xray did you copy." Three seconds later the pilot responded and said "uh zero thre
Probable cause
failure of the flying pilot to maintain control of the airplane, due to spatial disorientation, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and collision with the water. Factors relating to the accident were: the lack of recent instrument experience by the flying pilot and the lack of monitoring (and/or remedial action) by the other pilot.
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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.
