Piper PA46-500TP N169CA

Summary

On 18 January 2008 at about 18:30 local time, a Piper PA46-500TP registered N169CA, operated by William Easterling, was involved in an accident near San Antonio, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 January 2008 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

San Antonio, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

San Antonio International (SAT)

Coordinates

29.3464, -98.2944

Aircraft

Piper PA46-500TP

Registration

N169CA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

William Easterling

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Waco → San Antonio

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW08FA057

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to execute an instrument approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's impairment due to recent use of over-the-counter medication.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot attempted to intercept an instrument landing system localizer three times without success. The pilot told Air Traffic Approach Control that he was having trouble performing a "coupled" approach and that he was trying to "get control" of the airplane. The airplane disappeared from radar, subsequently impacting a field and then a barn. The airplane came to rest in an upright position and a postcrash fire ensued. A review of radar and voice data for the flight revealed that during the three approach attempts the pilot was able to turn to headings and climb to altitudes when assigned by air traffic control. Postmortem toxicology results were consistent with the regular use of a prescription antidepressant, and the recent use of a larger-than-maximal dose of an over-the-counter antihistamine known to cause impairment. There were no preimpact anomalies observed during the airframe and engine examinations that would have prevented normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.