Piper PA-24-250 N6243P

Summary

On 12 April 1996 at about 22:54 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N6243P was involved in an accident near Lakeland, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 April 1996 at 22:54

Classification

Accident

Location

Lakeland, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Lakeland Linder Regional (LAL)

Coordinates

28.0398, -81.9001

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N6243P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lumberton → Lakeland

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA96FA115

3 people died.

the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (Vs) while turning on approach from base to final resulting in an inadvertent stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses observed the airplane on a tight downwind for landing. The airspeed seemed slower than other airplanes in the traffic pattern. The nose of the airplane was observed to pitch up and down while on the base leg. The airplane over shot the turn to final and started a turn to the left - estimated between 35 to 45 degrees. The left wing dropped down 90 degrees as if in a stall, the nose pitched down, and the airplane collided with the terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.