20240310002539A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-32-260 · Madras, OR · March 10, 2024

Date: March 10, 2024 · 15:00 local
Place: Madras, OR
Airport: Madras Municipal
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N3264W
NTSB investigation: NTSBWPR24FA105
Reported as: Piper PA-32-260
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 2
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 789 total

N3264WRegistration cancelled Dec 21, 2025 · Piper PA-32-260S/N 32-88 · Built 1965 Airframe modelPiper PA-32-260 Engine modelLycoming 0-540 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

March 10, 2024, PA32-260, privacy data omitted departed aurora Oregon kuao at approximately 14:04 pacific daylight time and crashed southeast of Madras Oregon at approximately 15:02 pacific daylight time. Crash site coordinates 44°35’51” n, 121°1’50” w. pilot and one passenger were on board the aircraft and fatally injured. Aircraft was destroyed.

As the FAA filed it

MARCH 10, 2024, PA32-260, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DEPARTED AURORA OREGON KUAO AT APPROXIMATELY 14:04 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME AND CRASHED SOUTHEAST OF MADRAS OREGON AT APPROXIMATELY 15:02 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME. CRASH SITE COORDINATES 44°35’51” N, 121°1’50” W. PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER WERE ON BOARD THE AIRCRAFT AND FATALLY INJURED. AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR24FA105Accident · 2 fatalClass 3 · FieldFinal reportMadras, ORThe pilot’s continued visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an encounter with turbulence and structural icing conditions, loss of control, and subsequent impact with terrain.Mar 10, 2024 · Destroyed