Piper PA-20 accident near Nelson, CA
On May 31, 2010, a Piper PA-20 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Nelson, CA. 3 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 31, 2010
- Place
- Nelson, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-20 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.551°N, 121.891°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100601X10826
Official records · WPR10LA268
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 31, 2010, about 1645 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-20, N7013K, collided with terrain in a rice field near Nelson, California. The pilot operated the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The certificated private pilot and two passengers were seriously injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage and both wings. The local personal flight departed from a private strip owned by PM Dusters Flying Service in Chico, California, about 1600. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The airplane came to rest inverted and semi-submerged in a 12-inch-deep water-logged rice field, about 5 miles southwest of the PM Dusters airstrip. A ground disruption was observed in the mud bed about 20 feet south of the main wreckage; the left main landing gear was located within the disruption. The pilot and passengers sustained injuries during the accident that prevented their recollection of the immediate events leading up to the impact. The passenger located in an aft seat recalled that they departed from the airplane’s home base at PM Dusters earlier in the day. They then flew locally at an altitude of about 700 to 800 feet above ground level and landed at a dirt airstrip. He recalled that during the subsequent departure the airplane began a right turn; his next recollection was of being upside down on the ground and trapped within the airplane fuselage. He stated that prior to the accident the airplane was performing normally, and the engine was running. The
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of aircraft control during an undetermined phase of flight, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin and subsequent collision with terrain.
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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.
