Piper PA-32-300 N32371

Summary

On 8 March 2025 at about 03:02 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N32371 was involved in an accident near Redding, California, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 March 2025 at 03:02

Classification

Accident

Location

Redding, California, United States

Nearest airport

Redding (KRDD)

Coordinates

40.5073, -122.2989

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N32371

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Barbara → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ANC25LA032

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain a stabilized approach and his delayed action to perform a go-around, resulting in a collision with the runway surface.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane encountered low level wind shear as it passed through 500 ft above ground level (AGL). He said that during the initial approach, the airplane had a 20-knot headwind; however, near the ground, the wind shifted to a tailwind and the airplane subsequently nosedived. The nose wheel impacted the ground hard, and the propeller struck the ground. The pilot then attempted a go-around, but the engine did not respond and the second impact with the ground resulted in the nosewheel collapsing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Surface wind conditions at the accident airport were reported as calm immediately before and after the accident. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.