Accident Details
On January 2, 2025, at approximately 1230 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-32-300, registration N4151R, sustained substantial damage in an accident near Round Mountain, Nevada. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Flight History
The aircraft departed from its home base at North Las Vegas Airport (VGT), Las Vegas, Nevada, at an unspecified time. Preliminary Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) data showed the aircraft at 1104:10 at 10,000 feet mean sea level (msl), approximately 20 nautical miles west of VGT. The flight track then ceased momentarily at 1115:51 and resumed at 1126:07 on a northwesterly course. At 1143:15, the track arced northward and remained until it terminated completely at 1203:48, still at about 10,000 feet msl.
Wreckage Discovery
The wreckage was not immediately located. An Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued on January 6, 2025, and subsequently cancelled on January 16, 2025, after the Nevada Department of Wildlife found the aircraft. The wreckage was discovered by law enforcement approximately 60 nautical miles north of the last recorded ADS-B data point, at the base of the northeastern face of Mount Jefferson, at an elevation of about 11,000 feet msl.
Wreckage Examination
Photographs provided by the recovery team indicated that the main wreckage came to rest at the base of a mountain ridge. The empennage (vertical stabilizer, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and stabilator) had separated from the fuselage but was collocated with the main wreckage. The wings, fuselage, and engine compartment were located a few feet from the main wreckage. The wreckage was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.