Piper PA-32-260 N3258W

Summary

On 14 June 2021 at about 04:55 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N3258W was involved in an accident near Madisonville, Texas, United States. 6 people were on board and one died, 5 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 June 2021 at 04:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Madisonville, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Madisonville Muni (51R)

Coordinates

30.9082, -95.9530

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N3258W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Port Isabel → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN21FA263

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper glidepath during final approach for landing, which resulted in impact with trees and terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed on a night cross-country flight. While on approach to the destination airport, the airplane impacted trees and terrain and came to rest about 550 ft from the runway threshold. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies that would have preclude normal airplane operation. The switches for the airplane’s landing light and rotating beacon were both found in the OFF position. Autopsy revealed that the pilot had 85% stenosis of one of his coronary arteries, which placed him at an increased risk for a sudden cardiac event; however, there was no evidence to suggest that occurred and based on the circumstances of this accident, it is unlikely that the pilot’s cardiovascular condition was a factor in the accident. Toxicological testing identified the antidepressant sertraline and its metabolite desmethysertraline in the pilot’s heart blood and urine. While the levels detected were above therapeutic levels, this medication can undergo postmortem redistribution. Sertraline is one of the four medications the Federal Aviation Administration will consider for treatment of depression. Special issuance is usually issued after 6 months of treatment when the applicant is clinically stable. It is unknown how long the pilot was taking sertraline and whether he was taking it for depression or some other condition. However, after a few weeks of use, sertraline does not impact psychomotor performance. Given the circumstances of this accident, it is unlikely that effects from the pilot’s use of sertraline were factors in the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.