Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a fence during taxi.
NTSB analysis
The pilot reported that he was taxiing to the run up area when the right wing collided with a chain link fence. The right wing tip tank caught fire, and the airplane turned to the right, coming to a stop with the nose into the fence. The right wing sustained crush damage and fire damage. About a year before this accident, the airport’s water well had become inoperative, and a new well was installed with the chain link fence around it, closer to the taxiway. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that the fence line (on the right side) to taxiway centerline is 19 feet. The tree line (on the left side) to taxiway centerline is 25 feet. The airplane's total wingspan is 33 feet.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR10CA451 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Sep 7, 2010
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Paradise Lakes Estates, California
- Nearest airport
- Paradise Lake Airport (7CA2)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Piper PA-28-235
- N-number
- N32025
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.