Albuquerque-Double Eagle II

On September 13, 2022, about 1100 mountain standard time, a Piper PA46-310P airplane, N43605, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Seligman, Arizona. The student pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the student pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Flight track data revealed the airplane departed from Double Eagle II Airport, Albuquerque, New Mexico, earlier that morning and traveled west for about 1 hour 50 minutes before the flight track data ended near area of heavy precipitation and moderate turbulence. Near the end of the track data, the airplane made a 270-degree left turn, follow by a steep descending right turn. The flight track data ended near the accident site. The pilot was in communication with Los Angeles Center during the flight. Weather in the area during the time frame of the accident was reported as moderate to heavy precipitation. An uninvolved airplane in the area reported “serious moderate turbulence.” Security video located near the accident site shows heavy rain and gusty wind conditions at the time of the accident.

Several witnesses observed the airplane before and during its takeoff roll on the morning of the accident. One witness observed the airplane for the entire event and stated that the run-up of the engines sounded normal. During the takeoff roll, the acceleration of the airplane appeared a little slower but the engines continued to sound normal. Directional control was maintained, and at midfield, the airplane had still not rotated. As the airplane continued down the 5,132-foot-long runway, it did not appear to be accelerating, and, about 100 yards from the end of the runway, it appeared that it was not going to stop. The airplane maintained contact with the runway and turned slightly right before it overran the end of the runway. The airplane was subsequently destroyed by impact forces and a postaccident fire. The wreckage was located at the bottom of a deep gully off the end of the runway. Postaccident examination of the area at the end of the runway revealed two distinct tire tracks, both of which crossed the asphalt and dirt overrun of 175 feet. A review of the airplane's weight and balance and performance data revealed that it was within its maximum gross takeoff weight and center of gravity limits. At the time of the accident, the density altitude was calculated to be 7,100 feet; the airport's elevation is 4,830 feet. For the weight of the airplane and density altitude at the time of the accident, it should have lifted off 2,805 feet down the runway; the distance to accelerate to takeoff speed and then to safely abort the takeoff and stop the airplane was calculated to be 4,900 feet. It is unknown whether the pilot completed performance calculations accounting for the density altitude. All flight control components were accounted for at the accident site. Although three witnesses indicated that the engines did not sound right at some point during the runup or takeoff, examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of any preexisting mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Propeller signatures were consistent with rotational forces being applied at the time of impact. No conclusive evidence was found to explain why the airplane did not rotate or why the pilot did not abort the takeoff once reaching the point to safely stop the airplane.

The pilot was performing a night, VFR traffic pattern, to a full stop at a non-towered airport in a turboprop aircraft. He entered the traffic pattern (6,800 feet; 1,000 feet AGL) on an extended downwind; radar data indicated that his ground-speed was 205 knots. Over the next 3 nautical miles on down wind, radar data indicated that he slowed to a ground-speed of 171 knots, lost approximately 500 feet of altitude, and reduced his parallel distance from the runway from 4,775 feet to 2,775 feet. Witnesses said that his radio transmissions on CTAF appeared normal. The two witnesses observed a bright blue flash, followed by a loss of contact with the airplane. Rescue personnel found a broken and downed static wire from a system of three sets of power transmission wires. The dark night precluded ground rescue personnel from locating the downed aircraft; a police helicopter found the airplane approximately 2 hours after the accident. The pilot had recently completed his factory approved annual flight training. His flight instructor said that the pilot was taught to fly a VFR traffic pattern at 1,500 feet AGL (or 500 feet above piston powered aircraft), enter the downwind leg from a 45 degree leg, and fly parallel to the downwind approximately 1 to 1.5 nautical miles separation from it. His speed on downwind should have been 145 to 150 knots indicated, with 90 to 95 knots on final for a stabilized approach. The flight instructor said that the base turn should be at a maximum bank angle of 30 degrees. Radar data indicates that the pilot was in a maximum descent, while turning base to final, of 1,800 to 1,900 feet per minute with an airspeed on final of 145 to 150 knots. His maximum bank angle during this turn was calculated to have been more than 70 degrees. The separated static wire was located 8,266.5 feet from the runway threshold, and was approximately 30 feet higher than the threshold. Post-accident examinations of the airplane and its engine revealed no anomalies which would have precluded normal operations prior to impact.

The pilot, a heart transplant surgeon, was advised of a donor in Las Cruces, NM. He and a physician's assistant were to fly to Las Cruces, retrieve the donor heart, and return to Albuquerque, where the transplant was to be performed. The pilot obtained a weather briefing (VMC was forecast) and filed an IFR flight plan. He fueled the jet aircraft to capacity and took off into a dark, clear, moonless night towards open, flat terrain with few ground lights. The aircraft crashed seconds later. It impacted the ground in a left wing/nose slightly low attitude at high speed. There was no evidence of preimpact failure/malfunction of the airframe, engines, instruments, or controls. The pilot had been awake for 22 hours with little or no rest. He was not current for night flight. His IFR currency could not be determined. Both occupants were killed.