Piper PA46 N388TW

Summary

On 25 September 2025 at about 16:30 local time, a Piper PA46 registered N388TW was involved in an accident near Henderson, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 September 2025 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Henderson, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Rusk County (RFI)

Coordinates

32.1374, -94.8508

Aircraft

Piper PA46

Registration

N388TW

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rockwall → Henderson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA394

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to extend the main landing gear prior to landing, which resulted in a gear up landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distraction during the approach.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the descent to the destination airport, the pilot noticed that another airplane had departed from the runway and was climbing to enter the traffic pattern. The pilot decided to extend his traffic pattern entry to visually observe the other airplane and to provide separation so he could land. During this time, the main landing gear warning horn activated due to the engine power reduction that occurred, and the pilot then activated the main landing gear warning horn mute switch. The other airplane performed a touch and go, the pilot forgot to extend the main landing gear, and the pilot proceeded to land the airplane. During the gear up landing to the dry asphalt runway, the airplane departed the runway to the right, impacted two runway signs, and came to rest upright on a flat grass field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further reported that he should have performed a final landing check on short final and that he allowed the avoidance of the other airplane to distract him from his normal landing procedures and flow.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.