Piper PA32-301 accident near Key West, Florida, March 26, 2006
On March 26, 2006 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Piper PA32-301, registered N326XT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Key West, Florida (Key West International airport). 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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during the landing roll with a crosswind, resulting in collapse of the nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 2006 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Key West, Florida · Key West International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32-301 · all PA32-301s on the register
- Registration
- N326XT · no longer on the register · serial 3255001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During landing, the airplane exited the runway, and the nose gear collapsed. According to the pilot, the flight proceeded to the destination airport and with the wind from the north at "...10 or more knots. It was also very gusty..." he was cleared to land on runway 09. As the main landing gear contacted the runway the nose of the airplane "lifted unexpectedly and moved to my left. The aircraft then veered sharply to the left and off the side of the runway." The nose landing gear collapsed after it contacted a gravel area just off the runway. He further stated that he should have put in "...better wind corrections and got the aircraft pointed straight down the runway." A surface observation weather report taken at the Key West International Airport on the day of the accident at 1131, or approximately 11 minutes after the accident indicates the wind was from 350 degrees at 15 knots. No wind gusts were reported during that observation.
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: 159 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KVNC Venice FL
- Destination: KEYW Key West FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.