Piper PA-32-300 N1403X

Summary

On 4 July 2022 at about 03:44 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N1403X was involved in an accident near Mount Pleasant, Texas, United States. 4 people were on board and one died, 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 July 2022 at 03:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Mount Pleasant, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Mount Pleasant Rgnl (OSA)

Coordinates

33.1107, -94.9641

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N1403X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hot Springs → Mt. Pleasant

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN22FA299

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain the proper glidepath while on final approach in night visual conditions, which resulted in a collision with trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was established on final approach for landing in night visual conditions. The airplane tracked inbound along the approach course until, about 0.40 mile from the runway, it impacted trees and terrain. A witness reported that the airplane seemed to be right overhead when he first heard it, and about one second later he heard it impact trees. He noted that the engine sounded like it was at maximum power. The outboard portion of the right wing was located at the initial tree strike, and the inboard portion of the right wing was located within the debris path. A ground impact path began about 160 ft from the tree strike, and the main wreckage, which consisted of the fuselage, left wing, empennage, and engine, came to rest about 320 ft from the initial tree strike. An examination of the airframe and engine identified no anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. The runway was equipped with precision approach path indicators (PAPI). During the onsite investigation the day after the accident, the PAPI lights were illuminated. A review of airplane position data revealed that the airspeed was about 78 knots while on final approach. The aerodynamic stall speed was 62 knots with the wing flaps retracted and 55 knots with them extended. The descent rate during that period was within the capabilities of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.