ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 242713
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Sunday 20 September 2020 |
| Time: | 10:50 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-46-310P Malibu JetPROP DLX |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N236KM |
| MSN: | 46-8508014/42 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1984 |
| Engine model: | PWC PT-6A-34 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Hilltops Lakes Airport Hilltop (0TE4), TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Horseshoe Bay Resort Airpark, TX (KDZB) |
| Natchitoches Regional Airport, LA (KIER) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On September 20, 2020, about 1050 central daylight time (CDT), a Piper PA-46-310, N236KM, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hilltop Lakes, Texas. The commercial pilot and three passengers sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.
While in cruise flight at 19,000 ft mean sea level (msl), the pilot declared an emergency to air traffic control and stated that the airplane had lost engine power and that he needed to divert. The pilot elected to divert to an airport that was about 5 miles south of his position. Archived automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast data and commercially available flight track data showed that a descent was initiated from 19,000 ft and the airplane proceeded directly to, and circled around, the airport one time while descending. The last data point showed the airplane at 1,250 ft msl (about 750 ft above ground level) and about 1 mile north of the approach end of the runway. From the cruise altitude of 19,000ft until the last data point, about 12 minutes and 45 seconds had elapsed, which equated to an average descent rate of about 1,392ft per minute.
Witnesses located about 1/4 mile south of the end of the runway on a miniature golf course noticed the propeller on the airplane was not turning. They stated that they saw the airplane in a “really hard” left bank; the nose of the airplane dropped, and it impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude. The airplane came to rest along a road about 200 ft south of the airport property. The airplane impacted the terrain in a nose low, near vertical attitude and sustained substantial damage to fuselage and both wings. It is likely that, based on the location of the runway, relative to the miniature golf course, the pilot initiated the left bank to avoid bystanders on the ground and inadvertently exceeded the wing’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
The airplane was equipped with an engine trend monitor (ETM), which captured various events concerning the accident flight, including engine start, operating limit exceedances, and power checks. The ETM captured a power check while the airplane was at 19,100 ft. About 3 minutes 32 seconds later, an engine off event was recorded. The ETM further captured a logon message, which was consistent with the power being cycled, at an altitude of 3,542 ft, 9 minutes, 52 seconds later. The ETM did not record any start attempts between the logged engine off event and when power was lost to the unit. A postaccident examination of the airframe, engine, and accessories did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Although it cannot be determined whether a restart attempt would have been successful, the data were consistent with a restart not being attempted.
Both the engine failure and power off landing checklists contained instructions for the pilot to establish the airspeed at 90 knots; however, when the winds aloft were applied to the reported groundspeeds, it was evident this did not occur. Furthermore, the power off landing checklist instructed the pilot to be about 1,500 ft above the airport on the downwind leg; however, data indicate that the airplane was about 5,000 ft above the airport on the downwind leg. The rapid descent from 5,000 ft on the downwind leg to about 750 ft above ground level on the final leg resulted in an unstabilized approach.
Probable Cause: The loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined and the pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to establish and maintain a proper glidepath.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.kbtx.com/2020/09/20/plane-crash-kills-four-in-leon-county/
NTSB
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N236KM/history/20200920/1430Z/KDZB/KIER/tracklog
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=236KM
Location
Images:
Final flight path (Flightaware.com)
Photos: NTSB
Media:
NTSB is investigating the September 20, 2020 crash in Hilltop, TX involving a Piper PA-46. The NTSB is not traveling to the scene of the crash at this time.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) September 20, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Sep-2020 18:51 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 20-Sep-2020 19:47 | harro | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 20-Sep-2020 19:53 | harro | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage] |
| 20-Sep-2020 19:59 | harro | Updated [Photo] |
| 20-Sep-2020 20:35 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Phase, Nature, Narrative] |
| 21-Sep-2020 05:39 | Anon. | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 21-Sep-2020 06:41 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative] |
| 21-Sep-2020 08:49 | A.J.Scholten | Updated [Location, Source] |
| 21-Sep-2020 11:20 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code] |
| 19-Aug-2022 21:59 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, Accident report, Photo] |
| 19-Aug-2022 22:00 | Captain Adam | Updated [Embed code, Photo] |
| 20-Aug-2022 06:57 | harro | Updated [Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation