Piper PA-32-300 accident near Midland, Texas, June 29, 2006
On June 29, 2006 at about 5:09 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N70746, was substantially damaged in an accident near Midland, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power as result of the maintenance personnel's failure to comply with a manufacture's Service Bulletin (SB). A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 2006 · about 5:09 pm local time
- Place
- Midland, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N70746 · no longer on the register · serial 32-40521
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after departure, the airplane's engine lost partial power, and the 604-hour private pilot elected to perform an emergency landing to a road. While landing, the airplane's rotating beacon collided with an unmarked static transmission line and the left wing tip impacted a mailbox. An examination of the engine revealed that the right magneto had experienced an internal failure which resulted in its misfiring. The right magneto had been installed eight years previously and had accumulated approximately 469 hours since it was last rebuilt. A service bulletin previously issued by the magneto manufacturer stated, the "magneto must be overhauled or replaced at the expiration of five years since the date of original manufacture or last overhaul...without regard to accumulated operating hours."
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
- Flight time: 604 hours in all; 258 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 358 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,455 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MDD Midland TX at 4:51 pm
- Destination: HPY Baytown TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.