Piper PA 28-181 accident near Vaughn, NM
On December 30, 2014, a Piper PA 28-181 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Vaughn, NM. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 30, 2014
- Place
- Vaughn, NM
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 28-181 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.466°N, 105.297°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150101X13628
Official records · CEN15FA092
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Communication Summary - FBO President: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Communication Summary - Fueling: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 30, 2014, about 0330 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28-181 airplane, N2558M, impacted terrain during a descent near Vaughn, New Mexico. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to the pilot and operated by Pilot's Choice Aviation, Inc., under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Night instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions prevailed in the area for the flight, which did not operate on a flight plan. The flight originated from the Lamesa Municipal Airport (2F5), near Lamesa, Texas, about 0140, and was destined for Albuquerque, New Mexico. According to the operator, a renter flew the accident airplane cross country from the Georgetown Municipal Airport (GTU), near Georgetown, Texas, to the Boerne Stage Field Airport (5C1), near San Antonio, Texas. Radar data showed the flight departed GTU about 0859 mountain standard time, on December 29, 2014, and arrived at 5C1 about 0937, on December 29, 2014. Radar data showed the airplane departed from 5C1 about 1310, on December 29, 2014, and returned to GTU about 1345. The operator reported that the owner subsequently flew the airplane on December 29, 2014, after this cross country flight. The pilot indicated to the operator that he intended to fly to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Prior to the accident flight, the operator serviced the airplane with one quart of oil, made sure additional quarts of oil were in the airplane for the flight, and topped off the fuel tanks with fuel.
Probable cause
The noninstrument-rated pilot’s continued flight into night instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance from terrain.
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.
