# Accident 20160708011899A: Piper PA-32R-300, Houston, TX, July 8, 2016

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 8, 2016, 16:15 local time
- Place: Houston, TX
- Airport: West Houston Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.8172° N, 95.6658° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.8172&lon=-95.6658&mi=10
- Aircraft: N32KK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N32KK-2017-04-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32R-300 (registry code 7103213, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-300) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-32R-300
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 4
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,350 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN16FA261](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN16FA261) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160708011899A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON JULY 8, 2016, AT 16:15 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA- 32R-300, N32KK CRASHED ON A WOODED AREA ¼ MILE EAST OF WEST HOUSTON AIRPORT (IWS). THE PRIVATE PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES WHEN THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A TREE AND BURNED. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE FORWARD BAGGAGE DOOR WAS FULLY OPEN AND HELD VERTICALLY UP BY AIR FLOW DURING THE TAKEOFF.  WITNESSES INDICATED AIRPLANE CLIMB STRAIGHT AHEAD BRIEFLY AND ACHIEVED APPROXIMATELY 300 FT. ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. THE AIRCRAFT THEN INITIATED A LEFT UPWIND TO CROSSWIND TURN AT WHICH POINT IT APPEARED THE AIRCRAFT QUIT CLIMBING. THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO TURN TO DOWNWIND AT WHICH POINT WITNESSES NOTICED SOME SLIGHT YAWING THEN THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED LOOSE ALTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DECELERATED WHILE STILL IN THE TURN. THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT WAS LEFT WING LOW AND BANK ANGLE INCREASING AS IT DISAPPEARED BEHIND THE TREE LINE. APPROXIMATELY 1-2 SECONDS AFTER IT DISAPPEARED FROM SIGHT AND THEY HEARD THE CRASH AND EXPLOSION FOLLOWED BY AN INTENSE THICK COLUMN OF BLACK SMOKE. EXAMINATION OF THE SCENE REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT MAIN WRECKAGE MOSTLY CONSUMED BY FIRE RESTING ON THE GROUND NEXT TO A SNAPPED TREE. THE TAIL SECTION DID NOT BURN. THE ENGINE WITH THE FIREWALL AND INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS FOUND SEPARATED ABOUT 60 FEET FROM THE FUSELAGE. THE FORWARD BAGGAGE DOOR DEPARTED THE FUSELAGE AND FOUND WITH MINIMUM DAMAGE. THE LATCH WAS OPEN AND THE DOOR LOCK WAS UNLOCKED. THE LATCH CATCH AT THE DOOR FRAME WASN?T DAMAGE. FLIGHT CONTROLS CABLES CONTINUITY WAS DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE DUE TO THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE IMPACT AND THE FIRE. INVESTIGATORS FROM THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD, THE AIRCRAFT, AND THE ENGINE MANUFACTURERS PARTICIPATED WITH THE ON-SCENE EXAMINATION AND INVESTIGATION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN16FA261](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN16FA261), Jul 8, 2016: Piper PA 32R-300 (N32KK), Houston, TX, destroyed, 4 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after becoming distracted by the open baggage door while operating in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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