Piper PA-32-260 Crash in Honduras with 5 (Americans and Canadians) Dead

[PastTense]

Five foreigners including the pilot died on Saturday when their private plane crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Roatan island, a tourist destination on the Atlantic coast of Honduras, local authorities said.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/honduras-crash-plane-dead-tourists-1.5142020

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/780x439/honduras_accident_087ab44132916c4eac636278385dca0200332a0f.j pg

[India Four Two]

Update from CBC News. The pilot was a Canadian living in Honduras. The passengers were US citizens.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/honduras-crash-plane-canadian-1.5142112

[DaveReidUK]

Texas-based Cherokee Six N260TM, according to FlightGlobal.

[PastTense]

Aviation-safety.net entry:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/225218

Photo of that type airplane:
https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1319741

[Mike Flynn]

Probably overloaded. The old 260 HP Cherokee Six was not the load lugger that the 300hp could haul.

[DaveReidUK]

Reports suggesting engine failure.

[27/09]

Probably overloaded. The old 260 HP Cherokee Six was not the load lugger that the 300hp could haul.
The 260 could legally carry more payload than the 300. MAUW was the same for both but the 260 was slightly lighter.

[2Donkeys]

Photos circulating in PA32 circles suggest that the aircraft had been converted to club seating configuration from the conventional 6 forward facing arrangement. Such a conversion is not authorised for that aircraft.

[B2N2]

Why is that? CG issues or simply nobody ever applied for the STC?
Care to elaborate? Link maybe ?

[UV]

Photos circulating in PA32 circles suggest that the aircraft had been converted to club seating configuration from the conventional 6 forward facing arrangement. Such a conversion is not authorised for that aircraft.

Really? I thought I had flown lots of them in that configuration.

[megan]

The TCDS permits club seating as an option.

http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgMakeModel.nsf/0/44c795c1c122b21286257d74004d1952/$FILE/A3SO_Rev_33.pdf.pdf

[DaveReidUK]

Really? I thought I had flown lots of them in that configuration.

Quite possibly, but you are unlikely to have flown a PA-32-260, like the accident aircraft, in a legal club configuration. Only the last 30 of the 1500 -260s built (1977 onwards) are identified on the TC as having provision for club seating. N260TM was built in 1966.

[megan]

Accident aircraft had the serial 32-689, you're certainly on the money Dave. Find the serial number convention used confusing, permissible aircraft are S/N 32-7700001 through 32-7800008, how does that equate to 30 aircraft Dave? I assume the first two figures represent year of build.

[DaveReidUK]

Accident aircraft had the serial 32-689, you're certainly on the money Dave. Find the serial number convention used confusing, permissible aircraft are S/N 32-7700001 through 32-7800008, how does that equate to 30 aircraft Dave? I assume the first two figures represent year of build.

Yes, that's correct. The first two digits represent the year (1977/78) and the next two ("00") the variant (-260). MSNs run from 32-7700001 to 32-7700023 and 32-7800001 to 32-7800008.

[treadigraph]

One lives and learns... I had always assumed the 260 was a short lived production aircraft superseded by the 300. Presume the 260 didn't have the seventh kiddy seat? I know they didn't all have it.

[DaveReidUK]

One lives and learns... I had always assumed the 260 was a short lived production aircraft superseded by the 300.

Piper built about 1200 -260s from 1965 to 1969 (the -300 came along in 1966). From 1970 until production of the -260 ended in 1978, there were just under 300 more built.

Presume the 260 didn't have the seventh kiddy seat? I know they didn't all have it.

The seventh-seat kit was/is equally applicable to the -260 and -300.