New Piper Aircraft Inc PA-46-500TP accident near Mendoza, TX
On December 7, 2009, a New Piper Aircraft Inc PA-46-500TP (airplane) was involved in an accident near Mendoza, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 7, 2009
- Place
- Mendoza, TX
- Aircraft
- New Piper Aircraft Inc PA-46-500TP · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 30.001°N, 97.676°W
- NTSB ID
- 20091207X51809
Official records · CEN10FA065
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC 3 - Factual Report of Group Chairman: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC 3 - FAA Accident Package: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 7, 2009, at 1134 central standard time, a New Piper Aircraft Inc, PA-46-500TP, N600YE, was substantially damaged after impacting terrain following a sudden loss of altitude during vectors for an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions near Mendoza, Texas. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 with an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan. The cross-country flight originated at the Aransas County Airport (RKP), Rockport, Texas and was arriving at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas. The airplane departed RKP about 1059. The pilot began receiving vectors from AUS radar approach controllers at 1127. Preliminary radar data and air traffic control transcripts indicate the pilot was at 4,000 feet mean sea level (msl) and established inbound on the localizer to runway 35R at AUS about 1132:00. At 1132:22 the pilot was told to "expect short vectors" and received a left turn vector to 260 degrees heading for spacing on a preceding airplane. At 1132:40 the pilot was told to descend to 3,100 feet msl. At 1133:04, at an altitude of 3,800 feet msl, a heading of 286 degrees, and a groundspeed (GS) of 175 knots, the pilot was told to turn right to 080 degrees. The pilot acknowledged the assigned heading (pilot's last radio transmission) and the airplane continued a left turn until 1133:13 and a heading of 272 degrees, when radar indicated the airplane began a right turn at 172 knots GS. At 11
Probable cause
***This report was modified on May 22, 2014. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.*** The pilot's spatial disorientation, which resulted in his loss of airplane control. Contributing to the pilot's spatial disorientation was the sequence and timing of the instructions issued by the air traffic controller. The pilot's operation of the airplane after using impairing me
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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.
