Piper PA 32R-300 accident near Houston, TX
On July 8, 2016, a Piper PA 32R-300 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Houston, TX. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 8, 2016
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 32R-300 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 29.817°N, 95.666°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160708X85810
Official records · CEN16FA261
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 8, 2016, about 1617 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300 single-engine airplane, N32KK, impacted terrain following a loss of control in the airport traffic pattern shortly after takeoff from the West Houston Airport (IWS), Houston, Texas. The private pilot and three passengers were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight that had an intended destination of Gillespie County Airport (T82), Fredericksburg, Texas. Numerous witnesses observed the airplane during its takeoff from runway 15. Several of the witnesses saw the forward baggage compartment door in a fully open, vertical orientation shortly before the airplane rotated for liftoff. The pilot continued with the takeoff, and the airplane climbed on runway heading to 100 to 150 ft above ground level before it entered a left turn to the crosswind leg. One witness estimated that the left turn began as the airplane crossed over the runway departure threshold. Several witnesses reported that the airplane maintained a bank angle of 30° to 45° during the left turn to the crosswind leg. The airplane continued turning left to the downwind leg and briefly rolled to a wings-level attitude before it entered an aerodynamic stall/spin to the left and descended nose-down into terrain. None of the witnesses reported hearing any engine anomalies during the flight. T
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after becoming distracted by the open baggage door while operating in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to ensure that the forward baggage compartment door was closed, latched
More accidents in TX
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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.
