What happened
On February 28, 2026, at approximately 09:48 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-22-150, registration N3170Z, was destroyed in an accident near Oroville, California. The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal purposes. The pilot had flown from Paradise Airport Skypark (CA92) to Richvale Airport (07CL) earlier that morning and was returning to CA92 to begin the aircraft's annual inspection.
At approximately 09:47, a witness on the common traffic advisory frequency heard the pilot report that the aircraft was 2.5 nautical miles southwest of the airport, entering the downwind leg for runway 35. Shortly thereafter, another witness reported hearing an engine noise followed by a loud collision and a physical jolt to their residence. Law enforcement was dispatched to the site at approximately 09:48.
The aircraft crashed approximately 3.06 nautical miles southwest of CA92. The wreckage was found on sloping terrain with the aircraft in a near-vertical pitch attitude, the right wing upslope, and the left wing downslope. The empennage was folded over the aft fuselage and the inboard section of the right wing. A single tree, approximately 30 feet tall, was identified as the first point of impact; branches from the top of the tree were located within the wreckage. All major components remained attached to or near the fuselage.
The pilot sustained 1 fatal injury.