Piper PA-46 (Malibu/Meridian/Mirage/Matrix/M-Class)

The single engine aircraft departed Don Torcuato Airport on a private flight to Punta del Este, Uruguay, carrying four passengers and one pilot. About 15 minutes into the flight, while cruising in good weather conditions, the pilot informed ATC about engine problems and elected to divert to Buenos Aires-Aeroparque-Jorge Newbury Airport. Unable to maintain a safe altitude, he eventually ditched the aircraft in the Río de la Plata, about 28 km northeast of Buenos Aires. Quickly on site, rescuers were able to evacuate all five occupants who were uninjured while the aircraft was lost.

The 641-hour private pilot and passenger were departing on a 155-nautical mile night cross country flight. Shortly after the airplane took off, the tower controller heard a weak transmission that she could not completely understand, but did hear the words "engine" and "power." The controller asked the pilot to "say again", but there was no response. She again asked, "say again" and the pilot transmitted, " I'm going down." There were no further communications from the pilot. While approximately 400 feet above ground level, the airplane's engine stopped producing power. While in a left turn, the left wingtip impacted the ground and the airplane cartwheeled. The debris field encompassed an area approximately 125 feet long and approximately 50 feet wide. Witness reports of the airplane's flight path along with the wreckage distribution path were consistent with the pilot's attempt to return to the airport. A post-impact fire consumed the fuselage and caused extensive thermal damage to the engine and wings. An examination of the wreckage revealed the landing gear and wing spoilers were in the retracted position. The position of the flaps could not be determined. No mechanical deficiencies were noted with the airframe that could have prevented normal operations. Examination of the engine revealed no preimpact anomalies. The reason for loss of engine power could not be determined.

The airplane was destroyed on impact with terrain during a forced landing following an observed in-flight loss of engine power after takeoff. A witness observed the takeoff and stated that the airplane took off from the end of runway 34. About halfway down the runway the airplane emitted a sound like a rapid misfire, a pop, and then no more audible engine sounds. The airplane was about 300 to 400 feet above ground level at that point. He said that the airplane turned right then turned left to a bank where the wing was straight down. The airplane's wings then leveled, the airplane descended, and it impacted terrain. He stated that the time from the sounds to the impact was about two to three seconds. An on-scene examination revealed no airframe pre-impact anomalies. An engine examination revealed a cracked crankshaft propeller flange. The engine without the turbochargers and with the original crankshaft was test run up to 2,100 RPM. A propeller and governor inspection revealed no anomalies. Examination of the turbocharger system's exhaust bypass valve assembly revealed its butterfly valve was stuck (bound) in the extended closed position. The engine's cracked crankshaft was removed and a serviceable crankshaft was installed. The engine was test run again with a serviceable exhaust bypass valve assembly. The engine produced rated power. The original exhaust bypass valve assembly was reinstalled. The exhaust bypass valve assembly's wastegate bound again during an engine run and a loss of engine power was observed. Sectioning of the bypass valve assembly revealed a bent wastegate shaft. The valve assembly lever arm was bent and exhibited pre-impact tool marks consistent with pliers loosening a bound wastegate shaft. The airplane's pilot operating handbook and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved airplane flight manual (POH), in part, stated, "ENGINE POWER LOSS DURING TAKEOFF If sufficient runway remains for a normal landing, leave gear down and land straight ahead." The engine manufacturer's maintenance and operator's manual stated that the wastegate is required to be checked for operation and condition during 100 hour inspections. The manual did not specify a procedure for maintenance personnel on how to check the wastegate's operation and its acceptable condition. National Transportation Safety Board Recommendation A-94-081, issued to the FAA in 1994, stated, "Require the amendment of pilot operating handbooks and airplane flight manuals applicable to aircraft equipped with engine turbochargers by including in the 'Emergency Procedures' section information regarding turbocharger failure. The information should include procedures to minimize potential hazards relating to fire in flight and/or loss of engine power." The airplane's POH latest revision was dated October 14, 2002 and review of the emergency procedures section showed that the POH did not contain information, procedures, or amplified procedures on turbocharger failures. The airplane accumulated 8.7 hours of operation since the last annual inspection.

The single engine aircraft departed Ostend Airport, Belgium, on a flight to the private airstrip of Château La Chassagne located about 21 km west of the Dijon-Longvic Airport. The flight from Ostend to Dijon was completed under IFR rules and was uneventful. After being cleared to continue under VFR to La Chassagne, the pilot cancelled the IFR flight plan and was cleared for a descent to runway 36. Visibility was 10 km, rain, ceiling at 800 feet and minimum safe altitude at 3,300 feet. The pilot informed ATC he was descending to runway 18 and left the frequency. Shortly later, at an altitude of 1,700 feet, the aircraft struck the southeast slope of Mt Afrique located in Corcelle-les-Monts. The wreckage was found in a wooded area and all four occupants were killed.

Before the flight involved in the accident, the pilot himself had loaded and prepared the aircraft. According to the statement of the official on duty, neither the pilot nor the passengers were behaving conspicuously. The flight plan envisaged a VFR-IFR-VFR flight from Egelsbach (EDFE), south of Frankfurt, to Samedan (LSZS) in the Engadine. After take-off, the flight was to proceed under VFR (visual flight rules) to the waypoint RID and then to waypoint GERSA under IFR (instrument flight rules). From GERSA it was then planned to continue flying to Samedan under VFR again. The total duration of the flight was indicated in the flight plan as 75 minutes, and the endurance was indicated as 4 hours and 30 minutes. Take-off took place in Egelsbach at 10:09 LT. At 10:37 LT, the pilot contacted Swiss Radar Lower Sector North on frequency 136.150 MHz as follows: “... level two one zero inbound Trasadingen”. He was instructed to continue flying in the direction of GERSA. At 10:45 LT, the pilot contacted Radar Lower Sector South, on frequency 128.050 MHz, and continued flying as far as LUKOM. Based on an instruction from air traffic control, the aircraft left flight level 210 and descended to flight level 170. The pilot was instructed to continue flying direct to Samedan. At 11:10 LT, the pilot changed from instrument flight rules to visual flight rules and signed off from Lower Sector South. He attempted to contact Samedan. Initially, the communication was poor. After several attempts, he made contact at 11:15 LT on the Samedan aerodrome frequency. At 11:18 LT, the pilot reported that he was over the aerodrome and wanted to fly to the east to get below the cloud ceiling. No further radiocommunication took place. Shortly afterwards, witnesses saw the aircraft fall out of the clouds in an uncontrolled attitude. The aircraft crashed into the ground in a flat spin and with practically no forward motion. The aircraft was destroyed and all five occupants were killed.

The pilot received a preflight briefing from the Gainesville Automated Flight Service Station before departing on the instrument flight. The briefer advised the pilot of the potential for occasional moderate turbulence between 24,000 and 37,000 feet and on the current Convective SIGMET for embedded thunderstorms over southern Mississippi. The flight was in cruise flight at 24, 000 feet when the airplane encountered moderate to severe turbulence and heavy rain. The airplane descended from 24,000 feet to 3,100 feet in a descending right turn in 2 minutes and 10 seconds before radar contact was lost. The airplane was located 8 hours 26 minutes after the accident along a crash debris line that extended between 1.31 miles and 1.53 miles northwest of Arlington, Alabama. Airframe components recovered from the accident site were submitted to the NTSB Materials laboratory for examination. The examinations revealed all failures were consistent with overstress fracturing and there was no evidence of pre-existing conditions or fatigue damage. Examination of the airframe revealed that the airframe design limits were exceeded. The Pilot's Operating Handbook states the maximum structural cruising speed is 173 knots indicated airspeed or 170 knots calibrated airspeed. The co-pilot airspeed indicator at the crash site indicated 180 knots calibrated airspeed. The design maneuvering speed is 135 knots indicated airspeed or 133 knots calibrated airspeed.

The airplane was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain following an in-flight loss of control during climb after takeoff. Meteorological information indicates that the cloud ceilings were between 1,200 and 1,700 feet above ground level at the time of the accident. While airborne, the accident pilot reported to another pilot that the cloud ceiling was 1,500 feet. Radar data shows that the airplane flight profile became erratic once it had climbed above about 1,700 feet pressure altitude. The final flight path sequence depicted by the radar data shows a right-hand turn of decreasing radius with an associated rapid rate of descent. The last radar return coincided with the accident location. The non-instrument rated pilot had logged 7.0 hours of simulated instrument experience. The pilot had logged 35.8 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane, of which, all but 0.3 hours was listed as crosscountry time. No records of training in the same make and model airplane were discovered. No pre-impact mechanical deficiencies were found during the post-accident examination of the wreckage.

On December 13, 2003, at approximately 1540 central standard time, a Piper PA-46 single-engine airplane, N9223X, was destroyed upon impact with a building about one mile short of the landing threshold for runway 02 at Guaymas State of Sonora, In the Republic of Mexico. The private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorogical conditions prevailed for the personal cross country trip that originated in Tuscon, Arizona, at 1340, with Guaymas as his final destination.

The airplane was returning to the airport for landing. A witness reported it was flying erratically streaming a whitish "vapor trail" from the left wing. Another witness reported the airplane banked abruptly into a steep turn to the left, the nose pitched up, and the airplane sank from view behind the trees. The witness then heard a crash and saw smoke. Examination revealed no evidence of flight control, engine, or propeller malfunction. The left inboard fuel cap was absent from the filler port, and a ground search found the left inboard fuel cap in the grass beside the runway. The JetProp LLC, JetProp DLX Supplemental Flight Manual, Section 4, Normal Procedures Checklist, states, "Left Wing 4.9e, ... Inboard Fuel Tank ... CHECK Supply Visually & SECURE CAP ..." Examination of the JetProp LLC, JetProp DLX Supplemental Flight Manual and the Piper Malibu PA-46-310P Information Manual revealed the following instructions on how to secure the fuel caps: "Replace cap securely." There was no evidence of mechanical malfunction with the fuel cap or the filler port.

The single engine aircraft departed Bangkok-Don Mueang on a private flight to Chiang Mai with two passengers and one pilot on board. During climbout in marginal weather conditions, the pilot was cleared to climb to 11,000 feet when control was lost. The aircraft crashed in a cornfield located near Lop Buri. All three occupants were killed. There was some thunderstorm activity in the area at the time of the accident.