Piper PA 28-181 accident near Upland, CA

On November 22, 2016, a Piper PA 28-181 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Upland, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

November 22, 2016

Place

Upland, CA

Aircraft

Piper PA 28-181 · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

34.164°N, 117.665°W

NTSB ID

20161122X12427

Official records · WPR17FA025

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• ONT Radar with LC Audio: Recording (MP4), on ntsb.gov
• ATC Brief of Communications: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 22, 2016, about 0420 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-28-181 airplane, N6912C, impacted mountainous terrain shortly after takeoff from Cable Airport (CCB), Upland, California. The private pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was privately owned and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Night visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which originated from CCB at 0416 and was destined for Riverside Airport (RAL), Riverside, California. After departure from CCB, the pilot contacted the Ontario International Airport (ONT) local controller about 0419. The controller instructed the pilot to identify using the airplane's transponder and issued the current altimeter setting. About 0420, the pilot acknowledged the instruction and reported that he "just departed Cable en route to Riverside we're VFR we just appreciate…." The transmission was cut short and radar contact was lost. The controller tried several times to reestablish contact with the airplane; however, there were no further communications from the pilot. About 15 minutes later, an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal was identified and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued at 0457. The wreckage was located shortly thereafter at an elevation about 2,920 ft mean sea level (msl) on the south face of rising mountainous terrain, about 3.5 nautical miles north of CCB. Recorded radar data indicated that, after the airplane departed runway 24

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from rising terrain in dark night conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.