Piper Aircraft, INC. PA-31 accident near New Orleans, Louisiana, November 30, 2011
On November 30, 2011, a 1969 Piper Aircraft, INC. PA-31, registered N6485L, suffered minor damage in an accident during enroute (cruise) near New Orleans, Louisiana (Lakefront Airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's fatal cardiac event, which resulted in the inflight loss of control of the airplane. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's use of impairing medications and operation of the airplane with disqualifying medical conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 2011
- Place
- New Orleans, Louisiana · Lakefront Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper Aircraft, INC. PA-31 Navajo, built 1969
- Registration
- N6485L · no longer on the register · serial 31-449
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot became unresponsive and died during cruise flight and the airplane departed controlled flight. The passenger, who had no previous pilot experience, was able to gain control and maneuvered the airplane for a night crash landing at an airport. Witnesses at the airport observed the lights of the airplane moving erratically and saw it impact the runway, strike several obstructions, and come to rest upright in a grassy area next to the runway. An emergency medical team was unable to resuscitate the pilot and he was declared deceased. The postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had severe cardiac disease and was using medications to treat both hypertension and coronary artery disease. These were medical conditions about which he misled the Federal Aviation Administration and would have been disqualifying for a pilot medical certificate. In addition, based on the toxicology testing, the pilot was using methamphetamine at the time of the crash. Methamphetamine acutely causes increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure which increases myocardial oxygen demand. It may also directly cause coronary vasospasm. It is very likely that both the pilot's severe coronary artery disease and acute methamphetamine intoxication contributed to the pilot's sudden cardiac death during flight.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during prior to flight
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute (descent)
- Abrupt maneuver during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Complacency › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Cardiovascular › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Illicit drug › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 10 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: unk
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,024 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 2011; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEP Stephenville TX at 9:37 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18L, 3,697 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 330° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KNEW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on February 4, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB Form 6120.1 Was Not Received from the Registered Owner or from the Operator | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Iic's Summary of Findings | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Passenger Interview | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Witness Statements | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Witness Interviews by FAA Inspector | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | GPS 17 - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 7 | GPS 17 - Attachment 1, Tabular Data | data file | Download |
| 8 | Toxicological Report - Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Medical Factual | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Retention / Release of Wreckage Form | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.