Piper PA28 N3672K

Summary

On 24 January 2020 at about 16:11 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N3672K, operated by Colton T Egbert, was involved in an accident near Payson, Arizona, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 January 2020 at 16:11

Classification

Accident

Location

Payson, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

34.1589, -111.4939

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N3672K

Category

Airplane

Year built

1967

Engines

1

Operator

Colton T Egbert

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Payson → Mesa

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20FA079

1 person died.

The pilot's decision to fly into a canyon with rising terrain, and his subsequent loss of aircraft control while maneuvering away from rising terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passengers decided to fly over the nearby mountains so the passengers could spot wildlife on the terrain below. The pilot and surviving passenger recalled the airplane running well as they made a turn towards the mountains, but neither reported any memories of the flight after that point. Radar flight track data showed the airplane depart and fly to the mountains while maintaining an altitude of about 1,000 ft above ground level. The airplane completed a turning maneuver and descended into a canyon. Near the accident site, the flight track was consistent with the pilot maneuvering to avoid rising terrain. The accident site debris field was in a down-canyon direction. Examination of the wreckage and the accident site revealed that the airplane was in a nose-high attitude at the time of impact and possibly nearing the stall speed of the airplane. The propeller damage suggests that the engine was producing power at the time of impact. The examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.