Piper PA-28-160 accident near Tacna, Arizona, November 23, 2012
On November 23, 2012, a Piper PA-28-160, registered N5076W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tacna, Arizona. 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 airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment due to acute psychosis with paranoid thoughts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 23, 2012
- Place
- Tacna, Arizona · 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
- N5076W · no longer on the register · serial 28-85
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Without clearance or communication with air traffic control, the pilot took off in the airplane from a taxiway and departed the airport area westbound. Five days later, the airplane wreckage was found 160 miles west of the departure airport. Postaccident examination of the wreckage determined that the airplane impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude. Further examination of the airplane and engine revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had been treated in the past for depression, a seizure disorder, an opiate addiction, and she used lamotrigine to treat migraine headaches. Toxicology results detected a sedating antihistamine, diphenhydramine, lamotrigine, and tetrahydrocannabinol in the pilot, however, their effects on her performance at the time of the accident could not be determined. The pilot's husband reported that his wife had been displaying abnormal behavior about 3 to 4 weeks before the accident. In a phone conversation with her husband the night before the accident, the pilot expressed concern about men in black helicopters watching her, and, in a message left on his voicemail the day of the accident, her husband stated that she seemed to be "acting paranoid," stating she was going to take the airplane flying to get away from "them." The source of the pilot's psychosis could not be determined during the investigation. The pilot's acute psychosis with paranoid thoughts likely impaired her decision-making and judgment and contributed to the accident.
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
- Miscellaneous/other defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during unknown
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 › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Mental/emotional state › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 250 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TUS Tucson AZ at 4:57 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from NYL, 59 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.