Piper PA-32-260 accident near Mineral Wells, TX
On August 4, 2004, a Piper PA-32-260 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Mineral Wells, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 4, 2004
- Place
- Mineral Wells, TX
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.777°N, 98.060°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040806X01155
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 4, 2004, at approximately 1130 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32-260, N3352W, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when it departed controlled flight, and impacted power lines and terrain 1 mile northwest of Mineral Wells Municipal Airport (MWL), Mineral Wells, Texas. A post crash fire ensued. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The test flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The commercial certificated pilot and private pilot certificated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The local flight originated at approximately 1000. According to several witnesses, the accident airplane was observed flying from south to north over runway 31. One witness stated that the airplane was approximately 150 feet agl and flying rather slow. The airplane then "pulled-up hard" and banked to the right. Another witness stated that the airplane was in an 80 to 90 degree bank turn to the right. The airplane was then observed to descend below the tree line. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land, glider, and instrument ratings, dated April 28, 1994. He also held a certified flight instructor certificate for single engine airplanes and gliders. The pilot was employed by Century Flight Systems, Inc., for approximately 12 years as a test pilot. The pilot held a second class airman's medical certificate, dated June 23, 2004. The certificate contained the limitation "Must wear lenses for distant - Possess glasses
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall. A contributing factor was the low altitude.
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Browse: Texas · 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.
