# Accident 20060113000239A: Piper PA30, Visalia, CA, January 13, 2006

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 13, 2006, 18:19 local time
- Place: Visalia, CA
- Airport: Visalia Municipal
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.3114° N, 119.3839° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.3114&lon=-119.3839&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7291Y, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7291Y-2006-04-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-30 (registry code 7103002, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-320 series (registry code 41509, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA30
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 4
- Pilot flight hours: 5,700 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX06FA089](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX06FA089) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060113000239A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) N7291Y A PIPER PA-30-30 TWIN ENGINE AIRCRAFT, DEPARTED BYRON, CA (C83) AIRPORT VFR ON 01/13/2006 AT 5:20 PM PST WITH A DESTINATION OF VISALIA, CA (KVIS). IT IS UNKNOWN IF THE PILOT HAD OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. WEATHER, HOWEVER WAS NOT A FACTOR AS C83 AND KVIS WERE REPORTING CLEAR SKIES. FRESNO (FAT) TRACON WAS PROVIDING FLIGHT FOLLOWING, YET TERMINATED THE AIRCRAFT AT 6:11 PM PST, APPROX 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT. ACCORDING TO THE US NAVAL OBSERVATORY, THE END OF CIVIL TWILIGHT WAS AT 5:31 PM PST. THE MOONRISE WAS 4:24 PM PST, YET WOULD NOT BE FULL UNTIL 12:06 AM. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND, IN THE DIRT, APPROX 100 FEET FROM THE BEGINNING OF RUNWAY 30 AT 6:20 PM. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED WITH NO FIRE. ALL FOUR OCCUPANTS WERE FATALLY INJURED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX06FA089](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX06FA089), Jan 14, 2006: Piper PA-30 (N7291Y), Visalia, CA, destroyed, 4 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the landing approach, which resulted in a stall and uncontrolled descent. Contributing factors to the accident were the pilot's impairment due to his…

## Other reports on N7291Y (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19760804026599A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19760804026599A), Aug 4, 1976: Piper PA30 (N7291Y), Pioche, NV, Substantial damage. Pilot landed with sun directly in his eyes

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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