Piper PA28 accident near Pineville, LA
On May 31, 2020, a Piper PA28 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Pineville, LA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 31, 2020
- Place
- Pineville, LA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 31.348°N, 92.434°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200531X64139
Official records · CEN20LA199
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 31, 2020, at 1330 central daylight time, a Piper PA28-180, N6461J, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Pineville, Louisiana. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured, and one child passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. One witness, who was a flight instructor, reported that he saw the airplane take off from runway 36 at Pineville Municipal Airport (2L0). He stated that the airplane seemed to struggle to clear the trees at the end of the runway. The airplane then made a hard left turn about 400 ft above the ground (agl), to about a heading of 270°. The airplane then banked to a heading of 180° with the wings vertical in an "apparent stall/spin situation." The airplane then descended below the tree line. Another witness, who was also a flight instructor, reported that he saw the airplane take off and it was "struggling" to climb. When the airplane was about 400 ft agl, he saw the airplane make a left turn with about a 60°-75° bank angle. The airplane then entered a heading of about 270°, holding a very steep bank angle. It then continued the left bank to a easterly heading and disappeared behind the tree line. A third witness described the airplane entering an “accelerated stall” at and altitude of about 200-300 ft agl. There were no radio or distress calls heard from the pilot. The accident site was located in a heavily wooded area, about 1.5 miles from the departure end of runway 36 at 2L0. Local authorities rescued the surviving
Probable cause
The airplane’s inability to gain sufficient airspeed after takeoff due to it being at or over its maximum gross weight, which resulted in a loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to operate the airplane at or over its maximum gross weight.
More accidents in LA
- Sikorsky S-76C, Jan 4, 2009
- Cessna 411A, May 8, 1986
- Piper PA 31T, Dec 28, 2019
- Beech E90, Jun 24, 2005
- Bell 206L-3, May 10, 1994
Browse: Louisiana · 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.
