# Accident 20200531004379A: Piper PA-28-180, Pineville, LA, May 31, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 31, 2020, 13:30 local time
- Place: Pineville, LA
- Airport: Pineville Municipal Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 31.3483° N, 92.4344° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.3483&lon=-92.4344&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6461J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6461J-2022-09-03) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-180
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 175 total, 65 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN20LA199](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA199) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200531004379A

## Narrative

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

ON MAY 31, 2020, ABOUT 1330 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA28-180, N6461J, WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT NEAR PINEVILLE, LOUISIANA. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND 1 PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED AND 1 PASSENGER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (CFR) PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT.

ONE WITNESS, WHO WAS A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI), REPORTED THAT HE SAW THE AIRPLANE TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 36 AT PINEVILLE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (2L0). HE STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE STRUGGLED TO CLIMB TO CLEAR THE TREES AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE THEN MADE A HARD LEFT TURN, ABOUT 400 FEET AGL, TO THE WEST. THE AIRPLANE THEN BANKED TO THE EAST WITH WINGS VERTICAL IN AN "APPARENT STALL/SPIN SITUATION." THE AIRPLANE THEN DESCENDED BELOW THE TREE LINE.

ANOTHER CFI-RATED WITNESS REPORTED THAT HE SAW THE AIRPLANE TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 36 AT 2L0. HE STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE AS "STRUGGLING" TO CLIMB. WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS ABOUT 400 FEET AGL, HE SAW THE AIRPLANE MAKE A LEFT TURN WITH ABOUT A 60° TO 75° BANK ANGLE. THE AIRPLANE THEN ENTERED A HEADING OF ABOUT 270°, HOLDING A VERY STEEP BANK ANGLE, THEN CONTINUED THE LEFT BANK TO A EASTERLY HEADING AND DISAPPEARED BEHIND THE TREE LINE. BOTH CFI WITNESSES WERE LOCATED AT 2L0.

A THIRD PILOT-RATED WITNESS, WHO WAS DRIVING ALONG AN ADJACENT ROAD TO 2L0, STATED THAT HE SAW THE AIRPLANE IN A CLIMB PITCH ATTITUDE JUST AFTER DEPARTURE FROM 2L0. ABOUT 5 SECONDS LATER, HE SAW THE AIRPLANE ROLL INTO AN INCREASINGLY STEEP BANK, ABOUT 200 TO 300 FEET AGL, AND SUBSEQUENTLY "ENTER AN ACCELERATED STALL." THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE THEN FELL INTO A PITCH DOWN ATTITUDE AND THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED OUT OF SIGHT BELOW A TREE LINE.

THERE WERE NO RADIO OR DISTRESS CALLS HEARD FROM THE PILOT. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS LOCATED IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA, ABOUT 1.5 MILES FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF RUNWAY 36 AT 2L0. LOCAL AUTHORITIES RESCUED THE SURVIVING PASSENGER AND SECURED THE ACCIDENT SITE. AFTER INITIAL ON-SITE EXAMINATIONS, THE AIRPLANE WRECKAGE WAS TRANSPORTED TO A SECURE FACILITY FOR FURTHER EXAMINATIONS.  REPRESENTATIVES FROM LYCOMING WILL ASSIST WITH A COMPLETE ENGINE ANALYSIS AT A LATER DATE.

WAITING ON AUTOPSY REPORT FOR PILOT.

THIS REPORT WILL BE AMENDED ONCE THE ENGINE TEARDOWN REPORT AND TOXICOLOGY REPORTS ARE COMPLETED.

## 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 CEN20LA199](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA199), May 31, 2020: Piper PA28 (N6461J), Pineville, LA, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The airplane’s inability to gain sufficient airspeed after takeoff due to it being at or over its maximum gross weight, which resulted in a loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the…

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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