On a Saturday afternoon in May 2025, the quiet, upscale neighborhood of Wood Ranch in Simi Valley, California, was shattered by the sound of a falling engine and a sudden, violent explosion. It wasn't just another news headline. For the residents of High Meadow Street, it was a terrifying moment of impact that saw a homebuilt aircraft plummet from the clouds into their front yards.
The Paul Berkowitz plane crash is a story that sticks with you because it’s so deeply personal. Paul wasn't some anonymous pilot; he was a 69-year-old father from Westlake Village flying with his 36-year-old son, Matthew. Even their dog, a loyal companion named Brody, was on board. They were doing what they loved, traveling between Lancaster and Camarillo, when things went sideways.
Honestly, when you look at the NTSB data, the details are chilling. It wasn't a mechanical failure that immediately jumped out to investigators. Instead, it was a battle against the elements—a pilot caught in the "soup" of low-hanging clouds, trying to find his way home.
The Flight Path to Tragedy
The aircraft, a Van’s RV-10, is a popular "experimental" kit plane. Don't let the word experimental fool you; these are high-performance machines, but they require a high level of precision. Paul Berkowitz had taken off from William J. Fox Airfield in Lancaster. The destination was Camarillo Airport, a short hop for a plane that cruises as fast as the RV-10.
Everything seemed routine until they hit the Ventura County line.
According to the preliminary NTSB report, Southern California Approach Control was in contact with Paul. Around 1:35 p.m., he was cleared for an instrument approach. But then the data gets messy. The plane started making "multiple heading deviations." Basically, the aircraft was zig-zagging.
Imagine being in that cockpit. You're less than a mile from your intermediate fix. The clouds are thick—witnesses later said the ceiling was only about 300 feet above the ground. You can't see the horizon. You're relying entirely on your needles and screens.
The Final Moments Over Simi Valley
At 1:47 p.m., the ADS-B tracking (the GPS-based data that tells controllers where a plane is) showed the RV-10 in a right descending turn. It dropped fast. Then, it briefly climbed back up to 2,770 feet before disappearing from the radar again.
A witness on the ground captured cell phone video that tells the real story. The plane dropped out of the clouds, then the pilot pulled back hard, disappearing back into the white mist. This is a classic, terrifying scenario in aviation called "spatial disorientation."
Six seconds later, the plane came back out of the clouds, but this time it was in a "nose-down attitude." It was a death dive.
The impact was catastrophic:
- The plane clipped a set of palm trees.
- It struck a stone block wall between two houses.
- The left wing hit one home; the right wing hit another.
- A post-crash fire and explosion followed.
Miraculously, while the homes were "red-tagged" (declared unsafe to enter), none of the residents inside were hurt. They were evacuated into a scene of smoke and debris that looked like a movie set, but the reality was far grimmer for the Berkowitz family.
Why the Paul Berkowitz Plane Crash Still Matters
Aviation safety experts often talk about the "deadly turn" or the "graveyard spiral." While the final NTSB report can take up to two years to finalize, the preliminary evidence points toward a struggle with weather and visibility.
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Paul Berkowitz was described by his family as a "passionate pilot." His son, Matthew, shared that love for the sky. This wasn't a case of some reckless daredevil. It was a father and son sharing a hobby they’d bonded over for years.
That’s why this crash resonates. It’s a reminder of how quickly "marginal VFR" (Visual Flight Rules) weather can turn into a life-or-death struggle. When you're flying in and out of clouds—as neighbors reported seeing the plane do—your inner ear can lie to you. You might think you're level when you're actually banking hard.
What We Can Learn From the NTSB Investigation
The debris field was 221 feet long. The engine was found 10 feet away from the main fuselage. This tells investigators the plane hit with incredible force.
When we look at accidents like this, the aviation community focuses on "ADM" or Aeronautical Decision Making. Could they have diverted back to Lancaster? Should they have waited for the marine layer to burn off? These are the heavy questions pilots have to ask themselves every time they pre-flight.
The medical examiner confirmed that Paul and Matthew died from multiple blunt force injuries. It was instantaneous. In a small, heartbreaking detail, the family mentioned that Brody the dog was almost always by Paul's side on these flights. They were a team, even at the end.
Moving Forward After the Accident
If you're a pilot or someone who follows aviation news, the Paul Berkowitz plane crash serves as a somber case study in the risks of general aviation. It’s not about fear; it’s about respect for the environment.
Here are the actionable takeaways for those looking to understand or prevent similar tragedies:
- Respect the "Ceiling": If the clouds are lower than 1,000 feet and you aren't IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) current or the plane isn't equipped, stay on the ground.
- Spatial Disorientation Training: Pilots should regularly practice recovery from unusual attitudes using "foggles" or hoods to simulate being in clouds.
- Listen to the "Zig-Zags": If your flight path on a tracker starts looking like a zig-zag, it’s a sign of high pilot workload and potential confusion. That is the moment to declare an emergency and ask for help.
- Support First Responders: The Berkowitz family went out of their way to thank the Ventura County Fire Department. These teams deal with the trauma of these sites, and their quick action prevented the house fires from spreading to the rest of the neighborhood.
The NTSB will eventually release a "Probable Cause" report. Until then, we’re left with the memory of a father and son who lived for the clouds, and a neighborhood in Simi Valley that will never look at a low-flying plane the same way again.
Check the NTSB's "CAROL" database using the tail number N626PB if you want to follow the technical updates on this specific investigation as they are released over the next year.