Piper PA-32-260 N3479W
29 July 2001 · Puyallup, Washington, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 29 July 2001 at about 21:45 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N3479W was involved in an accident near Puyallup, Washington, United States. 6 people were on board and 6 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Puyallup, Washington, United States
- Nearest airport
- Pierce County - Thun Field (1S0)
- Coordinates
- 47.1167, -122.2833
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260
- Registration
- N3479W
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Puyallup → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA01FA145
People
6 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during departure resulting in a stall. Trees were a factor in the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane was destroyed after colliding with trees and terrain approximately 3/4 mile north of the airport. On the morning of the accident, the pilot and five passengers boarded the airplane for a local sightseeing flight. The co-owner of the airplane, who is a rated pilot, stated that from the ground he observed what seemed to be a normal takeoff, but shortly thereafter the airplane started a descending turn to the west and the witness lost sight of the airplane. Another witness, who stated he observed the accident from the airport, reported that the airplane turned to the west shortly after departure. He stated that during the turn, the airplane appeared to stall, "... and then went down." The estimated gross weight of the airplane at takeoff was 3,388 pounds, 12 pounds below the airplane's maximum gross weight. The airplane's center of gravity could not be calculated due to the fact that the exact location/station of the baggage could not be determined.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-32 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Nov 2001 | Piper PA-32-301T | Phillips, Wisconsin, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Aug 2001 | Piper PA-32-301T | Fullerton, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 2001 | Piper PA-32-301 | Factoryville, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Nov 2001 | Piper PA-32-300 | Galveston, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 2001 | Piper PA-32-300 | Watch Hill, Rhode Island, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 May 2001 | Piper PA-32-300 | Chefornak, Alaska, United States | Bellair, Inc. | No injuries | - |
All 1,695 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Apr 2001 | De Havilland DHC-2 | Seattle, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 2001 | Boeing E75N1 | Spokane, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 2001 | Cessna T210L | Olympia, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2001 | Beechcraft E35 | Eastsound, Washington, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Sep 2001 | Cessna 172N | Pasco, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Mar 2001 | Eurocopter AS-350 B2 ECUREUIL | Mazama, Washington, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |