Piper PA-46-350P N497CA

Summary

On 4 April 1999 at about 23:31 local time, a Piper PA-46-350P registered N497CA, operated by Robert R. Meredith, was involved in an accident near Waldron, Arkansas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 April 1999 at 23:31

Classification

Accident

Location

Waldron, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

34.8891, -94.0902

Aircraft

Piper PA-46-350P

Registration

N497CA

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Robert R. Meredith

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Nashville → Dallas

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW99FA104

1 person died.

The pilot's encounter with adverse weather and loss of aircraft control, which resulted in exceeding the aircraft's design stress limits. Factors were the pilot's lack of total experience in the make and model of airplane, and the icing and thunderstorm weather conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight at 24,000 feet msl, the pilot of the Piper Malibu Mirage advised Memphis Center that he had encountered icing conditions and was experiencing a fuel imbalance. The pilot requested and was cleared to deviate to the north. Subsequently, radio and radar contact were lost. A witness reported hearing the sound of the airplane's engine stop running and observed the airplane descending from the dark clouds in a nose down attitude and rotating clockwise. Residents of the area reported that the weather at the time of the accident was high ceilings with heavy rain just before and after the accident. There were thunderstorms with lightning in the area at the time of the accident. The wreckage of the airplane was scattered along an area of about four miles. The airplane was equipped with an autopilot, weather radar, and an ice protection system. The pilot had recently purchased the 1999 model airplane and had completed a Mirage initial training course. At the time of the accident the pilot had accumulated a total of 21.4 hours in the make and model of the accident aircraft. No anomalies were found with the airframe or engine that would have prevented normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.