Piper PA-31-325 accident near Tupelo, MS
On June 3, 2023, a Piper PA-31-325 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Tupelo, MS. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 3, 2023
- Place
- Tupelo, MS
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-325 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.272°N, 88.768°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230603192296
Official records · WPR23FA208
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Recorded Audio Summary: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 3, 2023, about 0816 central daylight time, a Piper PA-31-325, N4077W, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Tupelo Regional Airport (TUP), Tupelo, Mississippi. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A witness who spoke to the pilot said the pilot and pilot-rated passenger were departing on a currency flight. Review of recorded communication between the pilot and the Tupelo Air Traffic Control Tower controller, revealed that at 0806:49, the accident pilot transmitted to the ground controller and asked for their instrument flight rules clearance to Tupelo. The ground controller provided the pilot the clearance, to which the pilot read back and subsequently asked for and received clearance to taxi to runway 36. At 0813:58 the accident pilot transmitted on the tower frequency and requested clearance for takeoff on runway 36. The controller cleared the pilot for takeoff on runway 36, and to proceed on course. At 0815:46 the accident pilot transmitted on tower frequency the airplane’s call sign, however, when the controller responded, no further communication from the accident pilot was heard. At 0815:56 the controller queried the accident pilot and asked if they were experiencing any difficulties, with no reply. A performance study was conducted using ADS-B data from a publicly-available, third party service, as FAA ADS-B data was unavailable. The data showed that the pilot departed runway 36 and initiated a right climbing turn
Probable cause
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering after takeoff for reasons that could not be determined, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control.
More accidents in MS
- Beech A36TC, May 16, 2016
- Cessna 336, Sep 15, 2004
- Piper PA-24-180, May 8, 1999
- Mooney M20C, Jul 30, 2005
- Beech A36, Dec 3, 1983
Browse: Mississippi · 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.
