Piper PA 32-300 N555PK

Summary

On 14 July 2015 at about 15:04 local time, a Piper PA 32-300 registered N555PK was involved in an accident near Brazoria, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 July 2015 at 15:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Brazoria, Texas, United States

Coordinates

28.9064, -95.6042

Aircraft

Piper PA 32-300

Registration

N555PK

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pearland → Pearland

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15FA305

2 people died.

The student pilot's failure to arrest the descent in a timely manner and the flight instructor's failure to safely intervene in the routine training maneuver for reasons that could not be determined based on the information available.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting a local instructional flight. Radar data showed that, after takeoff, the airplane flew on a southwesterly heading and reached about 2,300 ft. The airplane then entered a gradual descent, which continued for about 2 minutes until the airplane was at 1,900 ft. About 20 seconds later, the airplane entered a descending left turn from 1,300 ft. The last radar target was recorded at 600 ft, at which point the airplane had turned about 270° onto a northwesterly heading. The radar data are consistent with the flight instructor retarding the throttle to simulate a power loss and the student entering a left turn in search of suitable terrain on which to make a forced landing. Evidence on scene and witness marks on the airplane were consistent with the airplane hitting a tree before impacting the ground. Control continuity was established to all the flight control surfaces. Examination of the airframe, engine, and related systems revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. It is possible that the student and flight instructor were distracted by the simulated emergency and failed to arrest the descent before impact with trees. In this accident, the experienced flight instructor failed to safely carry out a routine training maneuver, a simulated forced landing. He had significant levels of two impairing substances in his system at the time (doxylamine and phentermine). Although not conclusive, it is possible that impairing effects of the flight instructor's use of the combination of two psychoactive substances contributed to his failure to intervene in a timely manner to prevent the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.