Piper PA-22-150 accident near Oroville, California, February 28, 2026
On February 28, 2026 at about 5:48 pm local time, a 1959 Piper PA-22-150, registered N3170Z, was destroyed in an accident near Oroville, California (Paradise Skypark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 2026 · about 5:48 pm local time
- Place
- Oroville, California · Paradise Skypark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150, built 1959 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3170Z · registry record · serial 22-7122
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On February 28, 2026, about 0948 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-22-150, N3170Z, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Oroville, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a friend of the pilot and the owner of the accident airplane, the purpose of the flight was to fly from Richvale Airport (07CL), Richvale, California, to Paradise Airport Skypark (CA92), Paradise, California, to initiate the airplane’s annual inspection. The morning of the accident, the pilot flew his personal airplane from CA92 to 07CL, secured his airplane, and subsequently departed 07CL in the accident airplane and was enroute to CA92, which was about 12 nautical miles (nm) northwest. A witness that spoke to the pilot via radio on the destination airports common traffic advisory frequency. About 0947, he heard the pilot issue a position report that informed CA92 airport traffic, that he was about 2.5 nm to the southwest and entering the downwind leg of the airport traffic pattern to land on runway 35. Another witness reported that about 0947, they heard a noise resembling an airplane’s engine just above their home, followed by the sound of a loud collision, coupled with the simultaneous jolt and shaking of their home shortly after. After walking outside and seeing the downed airplane, they called 911. First responder dispatch records indicated about 0948, law enforcement officers were dispatched to the accident site. The accident site was located about 3.06 nm southwest of CA92. All major components of the airplane remained attached to or were collocated with the fuselage. The first identifiable point of impact (FIPI) was a single tree located about 12 ft west of the wreckage. The nearly 30 ft tall tree had missing branches near the top of the tree, that were found within the wreckage. The airplane impacted sloping terrain in a near vertical pitch attitude with the right wing upslope, the left wing downslope, and the empennage was folded over the aft fuselage and the inboard section of the right wing. Both wings exhibited chordwise crushing throughout the structure and their respective aileron and flap were present at the site. The wreckage was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.
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
What happened, in order
- Unknown or undetermined during unknown defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern downwind)
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 9, 2025; 20.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: 07CL Richvale CA
- Destination: CA92 Paradise CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17/3, 3,017 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 am from KOVE, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KOVE 281653Z AUTO 11005KT 10SM CLR 18/13 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP145 T01830128
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N3170Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR26FA109.