Piper PA28 accident near Mckinney, Texas, May 23, 2019
On May 23, 2019 at about 10:10 pm local time, a 1967 Piper PA28, registered N1568J, was destroyed in an accident during landing (aborted after touchdown) near Mckinney, Texas (Aero Country Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control during an attempted go-around in gusting crosswind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 2019 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- Mckinney, Texas · Aero Country Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 140, built 1967 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N1568J · no longer on the register · serial 28-23973
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and pilot-rated passenger conducted a local flight before returning to the airport for landing on runway 17. The pilot reported that the approach was smooth and normal, but as the airplane was about to touch down, it was "pushed down hard to the surface and quickly sucked back up." She applied engine power for a go-around, and as the airplane gained altitude, a gust of wind occurred; the airplane subsequently impacted a storage facility and a home just west of the airport. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Review of weather reports from a nearby airport about the time of the accident revealed wind from 140° at 11 knots gusting to 23 knots. Another weather station recorded wind from 140° at 16 knots gusting to 29 knots. Based on the available information, the accident was consistent with the pilot's loss of control during an attempted go-around in gusting crosswind conditions.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (aborted after touchdown) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (aborted after touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 818.7 hours in all; 533.5 in this make and model; 4.5 in the last 90 days; 657.2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,083.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 11, 2018
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T31 Mckinney TX
- Destination: T31 Mckinney TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,352 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 16 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KTKI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on December 9, 2019. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | 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.