Piper PA32R accident near Zavalla, TX

On June 27, 2020, a Piper PA32R (airplane) was involved in an accident near Zavalla, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

June 27, 2020

Place

Zavalla, TX

Aircraft

Piper PA32R · Airplane

Injuries

1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

31.188°N, 94.341°W

NTSB ID

20200627X60335

Official records · CEN20LA248

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Air Traffic Control Information - Flight Path Of Airplane At Airstrip: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Air Traffic Control Information - Flight Data: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 27, 2020, about 0153 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32R airplane, N315AM, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident at a private airstrip near Zavalla, Texas. The non-certificated pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to air traffic control information, the airplane departed David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH), Spring, Texas, at 0023 and arrived overhead the airstrip at 0059. During the next 54 minutes, the airplane maneuvered near the airstrip between 350 and 1,300 ft above ground level (agl), with a groundspeed ranging from 65 to 143 knots. The airplane was last recorded near the approach end of the southwesterly runway at 350 ft agl and 94 knots ground speed. Figure 1. Flight Path of Airplane at the Airstrip PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAccording to a flight instructor, the pilot purchased the airplane and began flying in 2016. The pilot discontinued training with the flight instructor in 2018 and never attempted to obtain a pilot certificate. The flight instructor stated he had not given the pilot any instrument flight training. According to the pilot’s wife, the pilot normally flew to the unlit airstrip at night and descended in a circular pattern until he visually identified the runway. The pilot had purchased runway edge lights for the airstrip but had not yet installed the lights at the time of the accident. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe airframe logbook recovered from debris field showed the last annual inspection occurred on September 28, 2017, an

Probable cause

The non-certificated pilot’s poor decision-making as he attempted to land at an unlit airstrip in night instrument conditions, which resulted in the airplane’s collision with terrain short of the runway.

More accidents in TX

• Kubicek BB85, Jul 30, 2016
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• Textron Aviation B-300, Jun 30, 2019
• Beech B100, Nov 26, 1983
• Consolidated-Vultee PBY-6A, Oct 13, 1984

Browse: Texas · Piper aircraft

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.