Piper PA-32R-301T accident near Magdalena, NM
On July 19, 1999, a Piper PA-32R-301T (airplane) was involved in an accident near Magdalena, NM. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 19, 1999
- Place
- Magdalena, NM
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-301T · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.112°N, 107.240°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X19238
Official records · DEN99FA123
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 19, 1999, at 1421 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-301T, N22KC, was destroyed when it broke up in-flight and impacted terrain near Magdalena, New Mexico. The instrument rated private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was owned by the pilot and operated by R.J. and R.K., Inc., of Panama City, Florida, under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The cross-country personal flight originated from Lubbock, Texas, approximately 2 hours, 4 minutes before the accident. An IFR flight plan had been filed with Las Vegas, Nevada, as the destination. On the day of the accident, the pilot flew from Panama City, Florida, to Lubbock, Texas; a distance of 847 nautical miles (nm) in 5.3 hours. He had his fuel tanks topped off with 90.6 gallons of 100 LL, and he departed Lubbock at 1217 on a VFR clearance. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicate that at 1259, N22KC was level at 14,500 feet mean sea level (msl), and at 1327 the pilot requested an IFR clearance for an altitude of 18,000 feet msl. At 1402, the pilot requested a turn to the south for weather avoidance. At 1409, the Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) controller asked the pilot how much further south he planned to deviate. The pilot advised the controller that it would be 5 to 10 miles further before he could turn to the northwest. This was the pilot's last transmission. Radar data indicates that at 1418, N22KC was at 17,800 feet, and approximately 48 seconds later was at 15,500 feet.
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertent flight into adverse weather and the subsequent in-flight breakup. Factors were the pilot's lack of experience in high altitude flying and the thunderstorm.
More accidents in NM
- Gates Learjet 25D, Sep 5, 1993
- Piper PA-32-300, Dec 26, 1982
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-30, Jun 25, 1992
- Cessna 421C, Feb 11, 1985
- Beech 58, Mar 26, 1982
Browse: New Mexico · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
