Piper PA-32RT-300 accident near Kingsburg, CA
On December 10, 2005, a Piper PA-32RT-300 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Kingsburg, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 10, 2005
- Place
- Kingsburg, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.436°N, 119.584°W
- NTSB ID
- 20051223X02006
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 10, 2005, at 1131 Pacific standard time, a Piper, PA32RT-300, N3039B, descended into trees and crashed into a cherry orchard near Kingsburg, California. The owner/pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot and one passenger were fatally injured; the airplane was destroyed during the impact sequence and post impact fire. The cross-country personal flight departed Reid-Hillview Airport of Santa Clara County (RHV), San Jose, California, at 1026, with a planned destination of Visalia Municipal Airport (VIS), Visalia, California. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at VIS, and no flight plan had been filed. The approximate global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the primary wreckage were 36 degrees 26.270 minutes north latitude and 119 degrees 35.018 minutes west longitude. At 1614, on December 10, 2005, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an alert notification (ALNOT) after notice from a concerned family member that the airplane was missing and overdue. Both the Civil Air Patrol and local authorities were notified of the overdue aircraft. Due to thick ground fog in the area, the search for the airplane was restricted until daylight the following day. Search and rescue personnel from the Kings County Sheriff's Department located the airplane wreckage at 1215, on December 11, 2005. Family members reported that the owner/pilot and his wife contacted them via telephone about 1000 and said they were running a little late. Airport records at RHV indicated the accident airpl
Probable cause
The pilot's in-flight decision to continue VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions during descent, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees and terrain. Fog, low ceiling, and obscuration were factors.
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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.
