Piper Aircraft Inc PA46R-350T accident near Tehachapi, CA
On February 14, 2021, a Piper Aircraft Inc PA46R-350T (airplane) was involved in an accident near Tehachapi, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 14, 2021
- Place
- Tehachapi, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper Aircraft Inc PA46R-350T · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.000°N, 118.387°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210215102630
Official records · WPR21LA111
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On February 13, 2021, about 1627 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA46R-350T airplane, N40TS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Tehachapi, California. The non-instrument-rated pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Flight track data revealed that, the airplane departed from Camarillo Airport (CMA), Camarillo, California, and flew an outbound heading of about 61° true for about 7 minutes before turning to a heading of about 32° true. The airplane remained on this heading and climbed to the track’s maximum altitude of 10,650 ft mean sea level (msl), 9 minutes later. The altitude remained about 10,500 ft for about 10 minutes then made a slow descent over the next 5 minutes before dropping off radar. Near the end of the flight track data, the flight track showed a tight left turn follow by a steep descending spiral left turn. The last flight track data was over the accident site. Concerned family members contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the following day and an alert notice (ALNOT) was issued for the missing airplane. The airplane was found on the morning of February 15 in rugged steep terrain. According to a family member, the pilot regularly flew from CMA to Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH), Mammoth Lakes, California, where he had a home. The family member also stated that the pilot had flown his helicopter for about an hour with his flight instructor on the day of the accident before departing on the accident flight. An FAA accident coordinator interviewed the
Probable cause
The pilot’s encounter with mountain wave activity with severe turbulence, which resulted in a loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to obtain a preflight weather briefing.
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Browse: California · 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.
