Piper PA-46-350P accident near Benton Harbor, MI

On August 4, 2002, a Piper PA-46-350P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Benton Harbor, MI. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.

Date

August 4, 2002

Place

Benton Harbor, MI

Aircraft

Piper PA-46-350P · Airplane

Injuries

3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Substantial

Position

42.127°N, 86.395°W

NTSB ID

20020808X01353

Official records · CHI02FA231

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• ATC Voice Recording Transcriptions: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 4, 2002, at 1335 eastern daylight time (edt), a Piper PA-46-350P, N316PM, owned and piloted by a private pilot, impacted the terrain on the extended centerline of runway 27, 1.12 nautical miles (nm) from the approach end, at the Southwest Michigan Regional Airport (BEH), Benton Harbor, Michigan. The pilot was performing a forced landing after experiencing a total loss of engine power during cruise flight. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The pilot and his two passengers were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The flight departed Joe Foss Field Airport (FSD), Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at 1100 edt, and had the intended destination of Toledo Express Airport (TOL), Toledo, Ohio. According to information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot of N316PM contacted Sioux Falls Departure Control at 1101 and was instructed to turn on course and climb to 10,000 feet. At 1102, N316PM was told to contact Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and was subsequently cleared to climb to flight level 190 (19,000 feet). At 1213, N316PM was told to contact Chicago ARTCC. At 1319, N316PM reported a loss of engine power and requested clearance to the nearest airport. Chicago ARTCC issued a descent clearance from flight level 190 to 11,000 feet. At 1321, Chicago ARTCC cleared N316PM to BEH. At 1321:57 (hhmm:ss), Chicago ARTCC contacted South Bend Ap

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed above stall speed resulting in a stall/spin. Additional causes were the pilot not maintaining best glide airspeed and optimal glidepath following the loss of engine power. A factor to the accident was the engine failure due to the fatigue failure of the crankshaft.

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Browse: Michigan · Piper aircraft

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.