Piper PA-32RT-300T accident near Dallas, Texas, July 28, 2022
On July 28, 2022 at about 7:38 pm local time, a 1978 Piper PA-32RT-300T, registered N3027J, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Dallas, Texas (Dallas Executive Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Maintenance personnel’s inadequate maintenance of the magneto, which resulted in a loss of engine ignition, a loss of engine power, and a subsequent forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 28, 2022 · about 7:38 pm local time
- Place
- Dallas, Texas · Dallas Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300T, built 1978 · all PA-32RT-300Ts on the register
- Registration
- N3027J · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7987075
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot declared an emergency to air traffic control after the airplane’s engine began to run rough while en route to the destination airport. He received radar vectors to an alternate airport but was unable to reach that airport. During the subsequent off-airport landing, the airplane impacted trees and sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the magneto case’s cover screws were loose and there was corrosion present on the magneto housing. The corrosion would have resulted in the magneto’s capacitors not properly grounding to the magneto case due to the corrosion, which also resulted in electrical arcing near the points and melting that was found on the cam follower. Without a proper attachment of the magneto case due to the loose cover screws, there would have been a slight case separation that would result in a simultaneous failure of both magneto sides due to a lack of ground. A review of airframe logbooks showed that there was no logbook entry, as required by regulation, stating that the magneto was removed and replaced after a 500-hour inspection of the magneto was performed by a repair station. An invoice from a maintenance facility to the pilot stated that the magneto was removed and replaced for a 500-hour inspection. The repair station’s Airworthiness Approval Tag for the magneto stated that the installer of the magneto must comply with the magneto manufacturer’s Service Bulletin SB651, which was not performed based on the corrosion and electrical arching found during the postaccident examination.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Ignition system › Magneto/distributor › Incorrect service/maintenance
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Record › keeping › Aircraft/maintenance logs › Maintenance personnel
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Ignition system › Magneto/distributor › Inoperative
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 33,000 hours in all; 360 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 24,000 as pilot in command; 460 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 21, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,876.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 2, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GKY Arlington TX at 7:30 pm
- Destination: TKI Mckinney TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from RBD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on November 15, 2023. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum of Correspondence - FAA Inspector | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Airframe Logbook Excerpt | PDF, 16 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Engine Logbook Excerpt | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Teledyne Continental Service Bulletin 651 | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | 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.