Piper PA-28-180 N317HM

Summary

On 14 April 2026 at about 00:19 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N317HM, operated by Splendid Aviation-Victoria LLC, was involved in an accident near Corpus Christi, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

14 April 2026 at 00:19

Classification

Accident

Location

Corpus Christi, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Corpus Christi International (CRP)

Coordinates

27.7850, -97.5217

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N317HM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Splendid Aviation-Victoria LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN26LA164

2 people were seriously injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On April 13, 2026, about 19:19 central daylight time, a Piper Cherokee PA-28-180 airplane, N317HM was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Corpus Christi, Texas. The flight instructor and student pilot were seriously injured. The airplane was operated under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. ADS-B data revealed that the airplane departed Corpus Christi International Airport (CRP), Corpus Christi, Texas, about 1850. According to first responders, the flight instructor and student pilot said that they were practicing touch and go takeoffs and landings at CRP when they had an engine issue on short final for runway 13. The flight instructor said that he took over flying the airplane when he realized they were having an engine issue. The airplane struck power lines and impacted a service road about .5 nm northwest of runway 13. A postimpact fire ensued. According to the owner of the flight school, the student pilot was transitioning from flying a Cessna 172 to a Piper Cherokee. The flight school owner also said that according to fuel records, they filled the airplane with 14 gallons of fuel before the flight for a total of 36 gallons. The airplane had a 100-hour inspection on April 1, 2026, and accumulated about 23 flight hours since the inspection. In the previous three months, the right magneto and right magneto p-lead were replaced as well as the starter ring gear. The airplane was retained for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.