# Accident 20231125017699A: Piper PA-28-180, Mertzon, TX, November 25, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 25, 2023, 18:35 local time
- Place: Mertzon, TX
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 31.3798° N, 101.0015° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.3798&lon=-101.0015&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7763W, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N7763W) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-180
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot, student
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR24FA040](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24FA040) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20231125017699A

## Narrative

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

ON NOVEMBER 25, 2023, AT APPROXIMATELY 1835, A PIPER PA-28-180 AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND AT APPROXIMATELY 14 MILES NORTHWEST OF MERTZON, TEXAS.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED ON A PERSONAL FLIGHT.  INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, AND THE PILOT, AND TWO PASSENGERS SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES.  THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM BIG LAKE, TEXAS ON NOVEMBER 25, 2023, AT APPROXIMATELY 1800.

## 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 WPR24FA040](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24FA040), Nov 26, 2023: Piper PA-28-180 (N7763W), Mertzon, TX, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The non-instrument-rated pilot’s continued visual flight into night instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control. Contributing to 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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