Fatal Piper PA-28 Crash Near Steinenbronn

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On July 17, 2021, a Piper PA-28RT-201T aircraft, manufactured by Piper Aircraft Corporation, crashed in a wooded area near Steinenbronn, Germany. The accident resulted in the deaths of all three people on board and the total destruction of the aircraft. The aircraft, a 1981 model with serial number 28R-8131062, was privately owned and equipped with a Continental TSIO-360FB engine and a Hartzell constant-speed propeller. It was fitted with instrument flight equipment, including a Century 21 autopilot and a Garmin 530 GPS. The aircraft had approximately 3,911 total flight hours and had been cleared for service on July 5, 2021. The pilot had chartered the aircraft since December 2018, completing 11 flights with approximately 13 hours of flight time. The aircraft's maximum takeoff weight was 1,315 kg, and its empty weight was recorded at 894 kg in a 2014 weighing report.