Piper PA-28-160 accident near Ben Wheeler, Texas, November 22, 2001
On November 22, 2001 at about 4:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-160, registered N6321W, was destroyed in an accident near Ben Wheeler, Texas (Tyler Pounds Regional 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 failure to maintain aircraft control for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 2001 · about 4:05 pm local time
- Place
- Ben Wheeler, Texas · Tyler Pounds Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-160 · all PA-28-160s on the register
- Registration
- N6321W · no longer on the register · serial 28-406
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot departed the home base airport at an unknown time for a day VFR flight in the single-engine airplane to his destination airport. About 37 nautical miles from the destination airport, the pilot requested and received an in-flight weather briefing. About 10 miles west of the destination airport, the pilot contacted ATC, the airplane was radar identified, the pilot was assigned a transponder squawk and given the altimeter setting. The pilot acknowledged the controller's transmissions. Radar contact was lost, and no additional radio communications with the pilot were recorded. The pilot's third class medical certificate application (December 19, 1991) indicated 1,500 hours flight time, and the third class medical certificate was issued with the limitation: "must have available glasses for near vision." FAA records did not reveal any evidence that the 76-year old pilot held a current medical certificate. No evidence was found that the pilot had not obtained sufficient rest before the flight. There was no evidence found to either suggest a medical cause for incapacitation or to rule out incapacitation for medical reasons. All of the aircraft was accounted for in the wreckage debris. No evidence of an in-flight fire and/or explosion, or in-flight mechanical and/or flight control malfunction was found that would have rendered the airplane uncontrollable prior to the impact. Numerous attempts to obtain a completed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2), pilot logbooks, and maintenance records were unsuccessful.
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: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GPM Grand Prairie TX
- Destination: TYR Tyler TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 5,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,300 ft; a few clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from TYR, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.