Piper PA 28-181 N6912C

Summary

On 22 November 2016 at about 12:20 local time, a Piper PA 28-181 registered N6912C was involved in an accident near Upland, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 November 2016 at 12:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Upland, California, United States

Nearest airport

Cable (CCB)

Coordinates

34.1644, -117.6650

Aircraft

Piper PA 28-181

Registration

N6912C

Category

Airplane

Year built

1985

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Upland → Riverside

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

WPR17FA025

1 person died.

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

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot departed from a non-towered airport in dark night conditions destined for an airport located about 15 nautical miles southeast; a direct route of flight between the two airports would require flight through controlled (Class C) airspace. Radar data showed that, after departure, the pilot conducted a left climbing turn, then proceeded north (as prescribed for noise abatement procedures at the airport), and remained clear of the controlled airspace, toward an area of dark, unpopulated, rising terrain. About 3 minutes after departure, the pilot contacted the local controller. While talking to the controller, the pilot's transmission suddenly stopped, and the airplane was lost from radar at an altitude about 3,000 ft mean sea level in the vicinity of the accident site. The accident site was located on steep, rising terrain at an elevation about 2,920 ft. Ground scars indicated that the airplane was in a nearly wings-level attitude at the time of impact. There were no preimpact anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that, while communicating with the controller, the pilot did not monitor and maintain situational awareness as the airplane approached mountainous, unlit terrain.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.