Piper PA-32-260 accident near Puyallup, WA
On July 29, 2001, a Piper PA-32-260 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Puyallup, WA. 6 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 29, 2001
- Place
- Puyallup, WA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 6 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 47.117°N, 122.283°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010806X01608
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 29, 2001, about 1445 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-32-260 (Cherokee Six), N3479W, was destroyed after colliding with trees and terrain approximately 3/4 mile north of Pierce County/Thun Field Airport, Puyallup, Washington. The airplane was co-owned by the pilot, and was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal/pleasure flight under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot-in-command, and the 5 passengers aboard the airplane were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local sightseeing flight. According to friends and family members, the pilot, accompanied by his son and two companions, arrived in Puyallup two days before the accident. They spent the preceding week flying the accident airplane cross-country from Connecticut to Puyallup, with intermediate overnight stops in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Miles City, Montana. On the morning of the accident, the pilot and five passengers boarded the airplane for a local sightseeing flight. A co-owner of the airplane, who is a rated pilot, stated that from the ground he observed what seemed to be a normal takeoff from runway 34, but shortly thereafter the airplane started a descending turn to the west and the witness lost sight of the airplane. A second witness, who stated he observed the accident from the airport, reported that the airplane turned to the west shortly after departure. He stated that during the turn, the airplane appeared to stall, "... and then went down." Another witness reported that the airplane ap
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during departure resulting in a stall. Trees were a factor in the accident.
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Browse: Washington · 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.
