Piper PA-46-310P accident near El Paso, Texas, October 26, 2025
On October 26, 2025 at about 3:18 pm local time, a 1986 Piper PA-46-310P, registered N46CR, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near El Paso, Texas (El Paso Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 2025 · about 3:18 pm local time
- Place
- El Paso, Texas · El Paso Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-310P, built 1986 · all PA-46-310Ps on the register
- Registration
- N46CR · registry record · serial 46-8608021
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On October 26, 2025, about 918 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA46-310P, N46CR, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near El Paso, Texas. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported he was climbing to his enroute cruise altitude when the engine made a loud bang, followed by decreasing temperature readings and a low oil pressure warning. The pilot declared an emergency, requested vectors to the nearest airport, and performed the engine failure emergency checklist. The pilot assessed different landing options before deciding on a north-south dirt road. The airplane touched down about 500 feet before a steep incline in the road. The pilot applied heavy braking until he spotted a 3 foot hole in the road, at which time he released the brakes and applied full aft elevator. All three landing gear separated from the airplane as the airplane went into and past the hole in the road. The wings and fuselage were substantially damaged. Once the airplane came to rest, the pilot shut down the electrical systems and began evacuation of the occupants through the emergency exit. The main door had become blocked by a tree and some brush. Post accident examination of the airplane revealed a hole in the top of the crankcase by the number two cylinder. The magneto above the hole was dislodged from its mounting point. Clean looking oil was present on the dipstick. The airplane was retained for further 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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,109 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2025
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: LRU Las Cruces International Airport NM at 3:33 pm
- Destination: BFZ Albertville AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 9:18 am from KELP, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN26LA030.