Piper PA-32R-301 accident near Spencer, Tennessee, October 22, 2003
On October 22, 2003 at about 5:00 am local time, a Piper PA-32R-301, registered N69190, was destroyed in an accident near Spencer, Tennessee (Nashville International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering resulting in an inadvertent stall and the subsequent collision with the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 2003 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Spencer, Tennessee · Nashville International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-301 · all PA-32R-301s on the register
- Registration
- N69190 · no longer on the register · serial 32R-8513011
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A pilot-rated acquaintance stated he spoke with the pilot on his cell phone shortly before the airplane departed, and the pilot told him he was going out to "practice stalls and spins." The witness stated he felt certain the statement was a joke in reference to a previous conversation he had with the pilot. After the airplane departed, the pilot was cleared at 1218 to proceed VFR, and no further known contact was made with the flight. There were no known witnesses to the accident. Examination revealed the main wreckage was found 20 feet from a ground scar that contained fragments of the right wingtip position light assembly. A fresh ground crater approximately seven feet long, seven feet wide, and two feet deep was observed in the sandy clay dirt adjacent to the main wreckage. No evidence of airframe, flight control, engine, or accessory malfunction was observed.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 529 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 471 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 30, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,707 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 20, 2003; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KBNA Nashville TN at 5:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KBNA, 67 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.