Piper PA32R accident near Castro Valley, CA
On December 22, 2015, a Piper PA32R (airplane) was involved in an accident near Castro Valley, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 22, 2015
- Place
- Castro Valley, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32R · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.645°N, 121.976°W
- NTSB ID
- 20151222X03629
Official records · WPR16FA042
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Audio: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 22, 2015, about 1127 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-32R-301T, N323PA, was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Castro Valley, California, while conducting an instrument approach to Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK), Oakland, California. The private pilot was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) were present in the area, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the flight, which departed Lincoln Municipal Airport (LHM), Lincoln, California, about 1050. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot, and the personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Air traffic control radar and voice communication information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that the pilot contacted the Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Control facility shortly after takeoff from LHM and requested an IFR clearance to OAK. The pilot was subsequently issued a discrete transponder code and an IFR clearance. About 1122, as the airplane neared the destination, it was established on a heading of 160° at an altitude about 4,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The controller cleared the pilot for the instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 28R, instructing him to turn right to a heading of 260° to intercept the localizer course and to descend and maintain an altitude of 3,400 ft msl until established on the approach. The controller told the pilot that the airplane was 1 mile north of the GROVE fix along the approach. According to rad
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of control due to spatial disorientation while maneuvering during an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions.
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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.
