Piper PA-32-260 accident near Madras, OR
On March 10, 2024, a Piper PA-32-260 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Madras, OR. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 10, 2024
- Place
- Madras, OR
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 44.597°N, 121.031°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240311193907
Official records · WPR24FA105
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 10, 2024, about 1503 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-32-260, N3264W, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Madras, Oregon. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A review of ADS-B data showed that the flight departed from Aurora State Airport (UAO), Aurora, Oregon, at 1404:10, and proceeded on an easterly flight path as it ascended to 10,000 ft msl. At 1502:01 the airplane ascended to an altitude of 13,100 ft msl and its groundspeed began to decay from 118 kts to 74 kts. The data further showed that, at 1502:11, the airplane was at an altitude of 13,300 ft msl and it entered a descending right turn. The last recorded ADS-B data point was at 1503:28 at an altitude of 4,700 ft msl, about 0.2 miles southwest of the accident site. Figure 1.Profile view of the route of flight. About 1503, a power utility company experienced a powerline surge and sent a maintenance crew to investigate. About 1940, the crew discovered the wreckage of an airplane and alerted local authorities. Two witnesses located about 3 miles northwest of the accident site reported they observed the airplane descending in a spiraling motion towards the ground. One of the witnesses noted that the airplane was intact at the time. Another witness reported there were rain showers in the area when they heard the loud engine noise of the airplane. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAt the time of the accident, the pilot had accumulated about 788 total hours of flight experience, of which 1
Probable cause
The pilot’s continued visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an encounter with turbulence and structural icing conditions, loss of control, and subsequent impact with terrain.
More accidents in OR
- Cessna T207A, Aug 21, 1986
- Piper PA-28-180, Sep 1, 1984
- Piper PA-28RT-201, Mar 12, 1984
- Piper PA 46-310P, Apr 7, 2017
- Cessna 172, Jun 23, 2012
Browse: Oregon · 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.
