Piper PA32 accident near Lake City, Florida, January 25, 2020
On January 25, 2020 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 1973 Piper PA32, registered N55455, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Lake City, Florida (Cannon Creek Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control at low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 2020 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lake City, Florida · Cannon Creek Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32 260, built 1973 · all PA32s on the register
- Registration
- N55455 · no longer on the register · serial 32-7300038
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness described that, when the pilot arrived at the airport several days before the accident, the airplane’s engine “cut out” while on final approach to the runway. After landing uneventfully, the pilot had a mechanic service the airplane, and the engine performed normally. On the day of the accident, as the airplane departed, the witness reported that he watched the airplane turn “hard left” after it cleared trees near the runway. He later heard a loud bang, then saw smoke. He drove over to the smoke and saw that the airplane was completely engulfed in flames. The airplane came to rest in the yard of a residence about 1,000 feet left of the runway’s midpoint. Postaccident examination of the airplane was limited due to impact and postcrash fire damage; however, no defects consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction of either the airframe or engine were observed. Additionally, a sound spectrum analysis of the audio from a video recording showed that the engine was likely running slightly below full throttle before the accident. Given this information, there was no evidence that a loss of engine power preceded the accident. The witness’s description that the airplane was in a “hard left” turn, the location of the accident site relatively close to the runway, the lack of a discernable horizontal wreckage path, and little fragmentation of the wreckage to suggest a high-energy impact, were consistent with the airplane impacting the ground in a near-vertical descent at a relatively low speed. Thus, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the steep, low-altitude turn shortly after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control at an altitude too low for recovery.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 172.5 hours in all; 172.5 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,554.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 3,554 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 15FL Lake City FL at 2:30 pm
- Destination: 38XA Tyler TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,500 ft by 25 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.18 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KGNV, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on August 24, 2021. 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 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Witness | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Sound Spectrum Study - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Sound Spectrum Study - Attachment 1 (Audio File Excerpt) | audio | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 11 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.