Piper PA46 500TP accident near Council Bluffs, IA
On December 10, 2015, a Piper PA46 500TP (airplane) was involved in an accident near Council Bluffs, IA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- December 10, 2015
- Place
- Council Bluffs, IA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA46 500TP · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 41.292°N, 95.867°W
- NTSB ID
- 20151211X65337
Official records · CEN16FA062
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Transcript of Radio Communications - Omaha ATCT/TRACON: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 10, 2015, at 1153 central standard time, a Piper PA46-500TP airplane, N145JR, impacted power lines and terrain near Council Bluffs, Iowa. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was registered to Airsea Charters Inc. and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure airport about the time of the accident, and the flight was operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight originated from Eppley Airfield (OMA), Omaha, Nebraska, about 1150 and was destined for Perry Stokes Airport (TAD), Trinidad, Colorado. At 1150, the OMA tower controller cleared the pilot for takeoff and instructed him to fly a 320-degree heading. At 1152:12, the pilot stated that he "needed to return to Eppley." The controller instructed the pilot to enter a right downwind for runway 32R. When asked if he required any assistance, the pilot replied, "negative." The pilot reported that the AHRS had a "miscommunication." (Within the context of the avionics installed on the airplane, AHRS likely referred to the attitude and heading reference system.) At 1153, the controller inquired if the pilot could accept a short approach. The pilot accepted and was subsequently cleared to land. The controller indicated that another airplane was on a 4-mile final for the runway at that time. No further communications were received from the pilot. Air traffic control (ATC) radar data depicted the airplane entering a rig
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from power lines while returning to the airport after becoming distracted by a noncritical flight instrumentation anomaly indication.
More accidents in IA
- Rockwell 500-S, Nov 25, 1985
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Browse: Iowa · 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.
