LAX06FA054 · Piper PA-32RT-300

The airplane impacted trees and terrain while descending in instrument meteorological conditions. The airplane was reported overdue about 5 hours after its departure. No flight plan had been filed. Due to thick ground fog in the area, the search was restricted until daylight the following day when the wreckage was located. Family members reported that the pilot and his wife contacted them via telephone about 1000 and said they were running a little late. Records at the departure airport show the airplane departed at 1026. The pilot and his wife were scheduled to be at the destination airport around 1100 for an appointment. Review of recorded radar data noted a secondary 1200 (VFR) beacon code at a mode C reported altitude of 1,600 feet mean sea level (msl) 12 nautical miles(nm) northwest of the destination airport. The target continued climbing while proceeding on a southeasterly course, which appeared to track towards the airport. About 3.8 nm northwest of the airport at a mode C reported altitude of 2,100 feet msl, the target began a gradual descending right turn. The target tracked back towards the northwest until radar contact was lost at 11:31:10, at a mode C reported altitude of 300 feet. The last recorded radar target was 1.5 nm south of the accident site. The distance from the initial impact point near the top of a 100-foot-tall tree to the main wreckage was approximately 370 feet. Aviation routine weather reports for the destination airport and the airports within 20 miles showed widespread low stratus and fog conditions with visibilities 1/4-mile or less under a 100-foot overcast, with the tops of the cloud layer reported at 800 feet.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset