Piper PA-24-180 accident near Ashland City, Tennessee, September 5, 2025
On September 5, 2025 at about 9:45 pm local time, a 1959 Piper PA-24-180, registered N5759P, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Ashland City, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 2025 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ashland City, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-180, built 1959 · all PA-24-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5759P · registry record · serial 24-836
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On September 5, 2025, at 1645 central daylight time, N5759P, a Piper Cherokee PA-24-180, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Ashland City, Tennessee. The private pilot sustained minor injuries. The flight was conducted as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that he departed the St. Charles County Regional Airport/Smartt Field (SET), St. Charles, Missouri, about 1500, and was destined for John C. Thune Airport (JWN), Nashville, Tennessee. He said that as he was preparing the airplane for his arrival at JWN, he twisted the mixture control knob to the full rich position. While doing so, the engine began to run rough and lose power. The pilot contacted air traffic control, and used the Emergency Checklist to troubleshoot the loss of power. He said, “I put the fuel boost pump on, switched tanks, verified ignition was on, verified the mixture full rich, turned carb heat on and verified that the primer was in and locked. I observed about 1000 RPM and 3 GPH on the fuel totalizer. The engine felt like it was idle and unresponsive to throttle inputs.” The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and made a forced landing to a cornfield, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The airplane was recovered from the cornfield and taken to a secure facility 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 (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (partial) during emergency descent
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,248.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 3, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,538 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: SET St. Charles MO at 8:00 pm
- Destination: JWN Nashville TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from KJWN, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KJWN 052250Z 27007KT 10SM CLR 32/19 A2986=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.