Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Tyler Pounds Regional Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Ben Wheeler, Texas 75754
Thursday, November 22, 2001 10:05 CST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The private pilot departed the home base airport at an unknown time for a day VFR flight in the single-engine airplane to his destination airport. About 37 nautical miles from the destination airport, the pilot requested and received an in-flight weather briefing. About 10 miles west of the destination airport, the pilot contacted ATC, the airplane was radar identified, the pilot was assigned a transponder squawk and given the altimeter setting. The pilot acknowledged the controller's transmissions. Radar contact was lost, and no additional radio communications with the pilot were recorded. The pilot's third class medical certificate application (December 19, 1991) indicated 1,500 hours flight time, and the third class medical certificate was issued with the limitation: "must have available glasses for near vision." FAA records did not reveal any evidence that the 76-year old pilot held a current medical certificate. No evidence was found that the pilot had not obtained sufficient rest before the flight. There was no evidence found to either suggest a medical cause for incapacitation or to rule out incapacitation for medical reasons. All of the aircraft was accounted for in the wreckage debris. No evidence of an in-flight fire and/or explosion, or in-flight mechanical and/or flight control malfunction was found that would have rendered the airplane uncontrollable prior to the impact. Numerous attempts to obtain a completed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), pilot logbooks, and maintenance records were unsuccessful.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control for undetermined reasons.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 11/22/2001 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1005 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Standard Time |
| Event City | Ben Wheeler |
| Event State | TEXAS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 75754 |
| Event Date Year | 2001 |
| Event Date Month | 11 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 322405N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0953233W |
| Event Location Airport | Tyler Pounds Regional |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | TYR |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 8.7 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 287 |
| Airport Elevation | 544 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 953 Central Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 287 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | TYR |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 544 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 8 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CST |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 3300 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 2500 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Few |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 14 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 8 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | -- |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.95 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 13473 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Operations center |
| NTSB Notification Date | Nov 22 2001 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1100 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 30 2003 9:51AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Dallas, Texas |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N6321W |
| NTSB Number | FTW02FA040 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | Ground |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Piper |
| Aircraft Model | PA-28-160 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 28-406 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2200 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | -- |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Patrick M.; William F.; & William F. Adair, Jr. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 2410 Cloverdale Circle |
| Aircraft Owner City | Arlington |
| Aircraft Owner State | TX |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 76010 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | GPM |
| Departure City | Grand Prairie |
| Departure State | TX |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | -- |
| Departure Time Zone | -- |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | TYR |
| Destination City | Tyler |
| Destination State | TX |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Descent - uncontrolled |
| Report sent to ICAO? | No |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Apr 29 2003 5:41PM |
| User who most recently changed record | CASH |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 13 |
| Runway Length | 5200 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |