Piper PA-31T N250TT

Summary

On 12 February 2010 at about 19:55 local time, a Piper PA-31T registered N250TT, operated by Mayes Aviation, LLC., was involved in an accident near Forest City, Iowa, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 February 2010 at 19:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Forest City, Iowa, United States

Nearest airport

Forest City Municipal Airport (FXY)

Coordinates

43.2347, -93.6242

Aircraft

Piper PA-31T

Registration

N250TT

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Mayes Aviation, LLC.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St. Louis → Forest City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10FA119

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during final approach.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness reported that the multi-engine turboprop airplane was on final approach to land when it suddenly veered to the left and entered a rapid descent. The witness stated that he heard the "whine of the engines" before the airplane impacted terrain about 1/2 mile south of the runway threshold. In the days preceding the accident flight, the airplane had been at a maintenance facility to resolve a vibration in the rudder system while the autopilot system was engaged. There were no anomalies reported with the autopilot system during a test flight completed immediately before the accident flight. However, anomalies with the rate gyro were noted by a mechanic who recommended replacing it, but the pilot departed on the accident flight without the recommended repair having been completed. Further, examination of the autopilot annunciator panel indicated that the autopilot was likely not engaged at the time of impact, likely because the airplane was on a short final approach for landing. Accordingly, any existing autopilot faults would not have affected the flight as the autopilot system was likely not in use. There were no failures identified with the primary flight controls, engines, or propellers that would have prevented the pilot from maintaining control of the airplane manually. Toxicological testing revealed the presence of Zolpidem in the pilot's blood (Zolpidem, the trade name for Ambien, is used for short-term treatment of insomnia); however, the reported levels would likely not have resulted in any impairment.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.