# NTSB WPR26LA025: Piper PA 46-350P, N699PG, Queen Creek, AZ, October 20, 2025 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report - Date: October 19, 2025, 17:53 local (Oct 20, 2025, 00:53 UTC) - Place: Queen Creek, AZ · Impacted powerlines east of Pegasus Airpark - exact location TBD - Coordinates: 33.211973, -111.56307 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.2120&lon=-111.5631&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Approach-VFR pattern final: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 12, 2026 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: FAA - NTSB case key (mKey): 201898 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR26LA025 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/201898/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=201898 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA025 ## Probable cause The pilot’s improper runway alignment and failure to maintain clearance from powerlines. Contributing to the accident was sun glare, which obscured the pilot’s view of the runway. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Light condition: glare](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03036030): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on personnel (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA 46-350P, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03036030/cases.md?model=7104620), [All aircraft, 109 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03036030/cases.md) - [Info processing/decision: identification/recognition](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041510): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA 46-350P, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041510/cases.md?model=7104620), [All aircraft, 559 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041510/cases.md) - [Object/animal/substance: wire](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022032): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Ability to respond/compensate (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA 46-350P, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022032/cases.md?model=7104620), [All aircraft, 588 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022032/cases.md) - [Object/animal/substance: wire](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022032): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Contributed to outcome (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA 46-350P, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022032/cases.md?model=7104620), [All aircraft, 588 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022032/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Approach-VFR pattern final: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA 46-350P, 40 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=7104620), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot reported that he was conducting a cross-country flight to an airport he had flown to a few days earlier. According to the pilot, during an approach his selected destination runway on the accident flight, his forward view was significantly obscured by a sun glare. He aligned the airplane to land on what he initially thought was the runway, which he later identified as an irrigation canal. As the airplane descended toward the canal, the pilot observed high-tension transmission lines immediately ahead and at about the same altitude. He maneuvered the airplane in an aggressive descent in an attempt to fly under the powerlines. He reported feeling “a thud” and immediately increased power, retracted the landing gear and flaps, and maneuvered the airplane into a climb. The pilot ascertained the airplane was flying normally and decided to divert to a familiar airport about 16 miles away. As the airplane was on the final approach leg of the traffic pattern, the airplane rolled aggressively to the left. In response, the pilot used aileron control inputs to compensate and landed the airplane without further incident. After exiting the airplane, the pilot observed that the rudder and most of the vertical stabilizer were separated from the airplane. Local law enforcement located the missing airplane parts in the immediate vicinity of an impacted transmission line and observed a paint signature matching the airplane’s paint on one of the transmission lines. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. Surveillance video obtained from a nearby hospital with a view of the accident site captured the airplane flying at a low altitude, with the rudder and most of the vertical stabilizer missing. The surveillance video showed the airplane passing the transmission towers at about 17:53:30; ADS-B data also indicated the airplane passed the transmission towers at about 17:53:30. At that time, the sun’s azimuth was 267° and its elevation was slightly below the horizon at -1.19°. (See Figure 2). The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N699PG](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N699PG), registered now, S/N 4636600, built 2013 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA 46-350P - Registry model: [Piper PA 46-350P](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-46-350p) (registry code 7104618) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-tio-540-ae2a) (registry code 40999, turbo-prop) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 4636600 - Year built: 2013 - Engines: LYCOMING TIO-540-AE2A 350 horsepower turbo prop - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: KSOW, Show Low, AZ - Destination: 5AZ3, Queen Creek, AZ - Equipment: Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 61; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review April 28, 2021; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 2,100 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 240° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 81 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 29.96 inHg - Observed at: KIWA, 6 nm away - METAR: METAR KIWA 200052Z 24006KT 10SM CLR 27/07 A2996 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20251019016079A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20251019016079A), Oct 19, 2025: Piper Aircraft Inc PA 46-350P, Queen Creek, AZ, Substantial damage. At 1753 local time the pilot in command of a Piper malibu mirage attempted landing at Pegasus Airpark (5AZ3) runway 26 from a straight in approach with poor… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 12, 2026, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=201898. 34.8 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 1.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19579923&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20Form%206120_1_Pilot-Signed-Final_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Investigation photos (item 2, PDF, 6 pages, 988 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19662736&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=WPR26LA025-Photos-Rel.pdf - Hospital surveillance video camera (item 3, MP4, 32.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19769972&FileExtension=mp4&FileName=WPR26LA025-Video-Hospital-Cameras-Rel.mp4 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.