What happened
On January 2, 2025, at approximately 12:30 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-32-300, registration N4151R, was involved in an accident near Round Mountain, Nevada. The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal use.
Data from ADS-B tracking showed the aircraft departed from North Las Vegas Airport (VGT) at an undetermined time. At 11:04:10, the aircraft was recorded approximately 20 nm west of VGT at 10,000 ft MSL. The flight track experienced a brief interruption between 11:15:51 and 11:26:07 before resuming on a northwesterly course. At 11:43:15, the aircraft began an arc to the north, maintaining an altitude of approximately 10,000 ft MSL until the track ended at 12:03:48.
Following an alert notice issued on January 6, 2025, the Nevada Department of Wildlife located the aircraft. The wreckage was found by law enforcement approximately 60 nm north of the final ADS-B data point at the base of the northeastern face of Mt. Jefferson, at an elevation of about 11,000 ft MSL.
Upon recovery, the wreckage showed that the empennage—including the vertical stabilizer, rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and stabilator—had separated from the fuselage but remained near the main wreckage. The engine compartment, wings, and fuselage were located a few feet from the main wreckage site. The pilot sustained 1 fatal injury.