Piper PA-32-260 In-Flight Breakup Near Bryan, Texas (N3590T)

Accident Overview and Flight History On December 19, 2011, at approximately 2144 Central Standard Time, a Piper PA-32-260, registration N3590T, impacted terrain following an in-flight breakup near Bryan, Texas. The instrument-rated private pilot and four passengers were fatally injured. The aircraft, a 1966 model powered by a 260-horsepower Lycoming O-540-E4B5 engine, sustained substantial damage. The flight was a personal cross-country operation under 14 CFR Part 91, originating from Clayton County Airport in Hampton, Georgia, with a planned fuel stop at Jackson-Evers International Airport in Jackson, Mississippi, before heading to TSTC Waco Airport in Waco, Texas. ## Meteorological Conditions Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was on file. Weather data indicated an outflow boundary and a mid-level trough acting as lifting mechanisms for warm, moist air, creating conditions favorable for thunderstorms, rain showers, and turbulence. Radar and satellite data showed strong to intense echoes moving over the accident site. Two Convective SIGMETs were valid for the area, advising of a line of storms with embedded severe thunderstorms. ## Personnel and Aircraft The 33-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument airplane ratings. His logbook showed 392 total hours, 347 hours as pilot-in-command, and 378 hours in the make and model. Toxicology results showed trace levels of tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid in liver and kidney, which were determined not to be at levels where impairment could have occurred. The aircraft had undergone an annual inspection on February 8, 2011, and its engine was found to be fully functional with no abnormalities. ## Wreckage and Impact The wreckage came to rest in a pasture field approximately 20 miles north-northeast of Bryan, Texas, spread over an area about 1/2 mile long by 200 feet wide. The left wing separated from the fuselage in positive overload, with the wing spar broken upward at the root. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were broken off at the base. The main wreckage was found nearly inverted against several small trees.