Piper PA24 N6678P

Summary

On 2 December 2019 at about 00:25 local time, a Piper PA24 registered N6678P was involved in an accident near San Antonio, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 December 2019 at 00:25

Classification

Accident

Location

San Antonio, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

San Antonio Intl (SAT)

Coordinates

29.5508, -98.4997

Aircraft

Piper PA24

Registration

N6678P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1960

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houston → Boerne

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN20FA023

3 people died.

The loss of engine power for reason that could not be determined. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering to landing which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin with insufficient altitude to recover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While en route to the destination, the pilot reported to air traffic control that he had an “engine failure” and declared an emergency. The pilot was cleared to land at another airport and responded that he would be “circling above” the airport before landing. Flight track data revealed that the airplane procced away from the runway, then descended and turned back inbound. Analysis of ADS-B data revealed that the calibrated airspeed decreased below the airplane published stall speed of 56 knots. The tower controller and a ground witness observed the airplane in a steep nose down attitude and spiral into the ground. Surveillance video also captured the airplane in a steep descent and counterclockwise spiral before it impacted terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the empennage, and the fuselage. Examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Chordwise scratches were detected on 2 of the 3 propellers blades, which indicates that the engine was likely producing some power at the time of impact. It could not be determined what kind of engine malfunction the pilot experienced. It also could not be determined if the pilot intended to continue the approach to the runway or to land on a nearby street. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the loss of engine power reported by the pilot for undetermined reasons because an examination of the engine did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions. The pilot subsequently allowed the airspeed to decrease below stall speed while maneuvering to land, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin on approach with insufficient altitude to recover.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.