Piper PA-32-300 accident near Burnet, Texas, August 7, 2004
On August 7, 2004 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N927RP, was destroyed in an accident near Burnet, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued flight into known adverse weather, VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and his failure to maintain control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation. A contributing factor was the cloudy weather.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2004 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Burnet, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N927RP · no longer on the register · serial 32-7340152
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated pilot lost control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation after entering into instrument meteorological conditions while en route to his destination. He had obtained three separate weather briefings from a flight service station that reported a stationary front with high clouds over the intended route of flight. An air traffic control center first plotted the airplane ascending through 5,000 feet. After reaching an altitude of 10,000 feet, the airplane began to descend in a tight right turn losing altitude rapidly, with the last radar contact at 7,500 feet. A witness reported seeing an airplane coming out of the clouds and diving at a very high rate of speed. Pieces of the airplane were found scattered up to a half-mile distance from the main wreckage site.
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: 16 hours in all
- Last flight review: March 16, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 18, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4XS7 Horseshoe Bay TX at 9:10 pm
- Destination: Lubbock TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots, gusting 3
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KBMQ, 18 miles away
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.