Pilot Debrief

JetProp DLX Piper PA46 near New Albany, IN — 2010-05-03

Final reportCEN10FA233
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Date
2010-05-03
Location
New Albany, IN, USA
Aircraft
JetProp DLX Piper PA46
Registration
N135CC
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed in instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

The instrument-rated pilot was issued a clearance to descend to 4,000 feet for radar vectors to a nonprecision instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The last 1 minute 23 seconds of radar data indicated the airplane leveled at 4,000 feet for about 35 seconds and then varied between 3,800 feet and 3,900 feet for the remainder of the flight for which data was available. During this timeframe, the airspeed decreased from 131 knots to 57 knots. Witnesses observed the airplane descending in a spin, and one reported hearing the engine running. Recorded engine data showed an increase in engine power near stall speed, which was likely the pilot's response to the low airspeed. The airplane damage was consistent with a low-speed impact with some rotation about the airplane's vertical axis. The pilot did not make any transmissions to air traffic control indicating any abnormalities or emergency. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. During training on the accident airplane, the instructor recommended that the pilot get 25 to 50 hours of flight in visual meteorological conditions before flying in IMC in order to gain more familiarity with the radios, switches, and navigation equipment. The pilot only had 14 hours of flight time in the accident airplane before the accident flight, however it could not determined whether this played a role in the accident.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
VFR into IMC
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have aborted the flight due to deteriorating weather conditions.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ATC audio
  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 30 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents30

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