Piper PA-28-236 accident near Paradise, California, January 9, 1996
On January 9, 1996 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-236, registered N627WB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Paradise, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's attempted flight into known adverse weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 9, 1996 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Paradise, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-236 · all PA-28-236s on the register
- Registration
- N627WB · registry record · serial 28-7911233
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Before departure, the non-instrument rated pilot observed patchy fog in the valley below. The pilot did not receive a weather briefing; however, knowing that his destination was in VFR conditions, he elected to takeoff and observe the weather. Once airborne, the fog layer became solid and he decided to return to the departure airport. He could not relocate the airport due to fog which had moved in. Fearing that he would become trapped on top of the fog layer, he decided to descend through a clearing in the fog layer and make an off-airport landing in a field. During the landing, the nose and right main landing gear collapsed.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 81 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 57 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,063 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 9, 1995; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3A5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Q88 CA at 1:20 pm
- Destination: CCR Concord CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N627WB the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.