NTSB CEN25LA387 — 2025-09-18 · Oxford, Mississippi, United States

Current FAA registration · N318JM

Make / Model: PIPER PA-32R-301
Engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER (300 hp)
Seats / Engines: 7 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19831213
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A3655D

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N318JM Piper PA-32R-301 Serious

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the initial takeoff climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot conducted a normal pre-flight inspection and engine run-up. According to the pilot, after taking off from the runway, the airplane started drifting to the right and did not gain as much altitude as expected. The pilot attempted to correct the drift, but the airplane impacted the ground and slid into trees resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, stabilator, and both wings. The pilot stated that he likely stalled the airplane. Airport surveillance video depicted the airplane during the takeoff. The airplane’s pitch attitude increased as it rotated and climbed from the runway to about 100 ft above ground level. The airplane appeared to have maintained a nose-high attitude as it descended into terrain. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_CEN25LA387.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers