Individually Owned: 151,845
Corporate Owned: 143,699
Visalia Muni Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Kingsburg, California 93631
Saturday, December 10, 2005 11:31 PST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The airplane impacted trees and terrain while descending in instrument meteorological conditions. The airplane was reported overdue about 5 hours after its departure. No flight plan had been filed. Due to thick ground fog in the area, the search was restricted until daylight the following day when the wreckage was located. Family members reported that the pilot and his wife contacted them via telephone about 1000 and said they were running a little late. Records at the departure airport show the airplane departed at 1026. The pilot and his wife were scheduled to be at the destination airport around 1100 for an appointment. Review of recorded radar data noted a secondary 1200 (VFR) beacon code at a mode C reported altitude of 1,600 feet mean sea level (msl) 12 nautical miles(nm) northwest of the destination airport. The target continued climbing while proceeding on a southeasterly course, which appeared to track towards the airport. About 3.8 nm northwest of the airport at a mode C reported altitude of 2,100 feet msl, the target began a gradual descending right turn. The target tracked back towards the northwest until radar contact was lost at 11:31:10, at a mode C reported altitude of 300 feet. The last recorded radar target was 1.5 nm south of the accident site. The distance from the initial impact point near the top of a 100-foot-tall tree to the main wreckage was approximately 370 feet. Aviation routine weather reports for the destination airport and the airports within 20 miles showed widespread low stratus and fog conditions with visibilities 1/4-mile or less under a 100-foot overcast, with the tops of the cloud layer reported at 800 feet.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
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.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/10/2005 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 1131 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Standard Time |
| Event City | Kingsburg |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 93631 |
| Event Date Year | 2005 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 362609N |
| Event Location Longitude | 1193501W |
| Event Location Airport | VISALIA MUNI |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | VIS |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 13.5 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 295 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1135 Pacific Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 114 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | VIS |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 295 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 12 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 100 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | -- |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0.25 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 7 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 7 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | -- |
| Wind Speed (knots) | -- |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.25 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 21463 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Dec 11 2005 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 29 2007 12:24PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\lema |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | WP-FSDO-Fresno, CA |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N3039B |
| NTSB Number | LAX06FA054 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | Y |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Piper |
| Aircraft Model | PA-32RT-300 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 32R-7985019 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3600 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 1 2005 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 2349 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | -- |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Vernon M. Riedlin, Jr. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | -- |
| Aircraft Owner State | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Country | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | -- |
| Operator is an individual? | Yes |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | San Jose |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 95148 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | RHV |
| Departure City | SAN JOSE |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1026 |
| Departure Time Zone | PST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | VIS |
| Destination City | VISALIA |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 29 2007 6:01PM |
| User who most recently changed record | COOS |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | NA |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |