Piper PA 46-350P accident near Destin, FL
On November 24, 2010, a Piper PA 46-350P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Destin, FL. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- November 24, 2010
- Place
- Destin, FL
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 46-350P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 30.419°N, 86.481°W
- NTSB ID
- 20101123X35502
Official records · ERA11FA070
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Approach Control Transcripts: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Recording Devices - Specialist's Factual Report: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 23, 2010, about 1930 central standard time, a Piper PA-46-350P (Malibu Mirage), N548C, was substantially damaged when it impacted water during an approach to Destin/Ft.Walton Beach Airport (DTS), Destin, Florida. The airplane had departed Lake Front Airport (NEW), New Orleans, Louisiana about 1820. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. The certificated private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The accident flight departed NEW about 1820 and flew at a cruise altitude of 13,000 feet mean sea level (msl). According to the Eglin Radar Control Facility, recordings and radar data indicated that prior to the approach the pilot had turned to an approximate 180 degree heading and appeared to be heading in the direction of another airport. The controller reassigned the pilot a heading in order to intercept the final approach for the RNAV/GPS 14 approach. The airplane was cleared for the RNAV/GPS 14 approach to DTS, then approximately 200 feet msl, radar contact went into Coast mode followed by a loss of radar contact. A search of the local airports and ground environment began and the aircraft was located in the Choctawhachee Bay, in the water, about 2024. The last two recorded transmissions from the airplane were about two minutes apart and both were recorded on the Destin Unicom frequency. The last transmission was about 1929 and was "destin traffic mirage five fou
Probable cause
Controlled flight into water due to the pilot's improper descent below the published minimum descent altitude.
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Browse: Florida · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
