History of Flight
On January 11, 2009, at 2116 central standard time, a Piper PA-46-500TP, registration N428DC, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in Milton, Florida. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed from Anderson Municipal Airport (AID), Anderson, Indiana, to Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (DTS), Destin, Florida. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The pilot contacted Kankakee, Illinois, Automated Flight Service Station at 1629 for a weather briefing and to file the IFR flight plan. The briefer advised of an AIRMET for moderate turbulence above 24,000 feet. The pilot proposed a 1730 departure, estimated 2 hours’ flight time, and stated he would have 4 hours and 10 minutes of fuel on board.
The airplane departed AID at 1744. At 1920, while level at 24,000 feet near Guntersville, Alabama, the pilot reported "severe chop" and then "moderate to severe turbulence" to Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center. Two minutes later, the pilot requested an emergency descent, stating his windshield was cracking. At 1924, he reported losing the door, and at 1926, he stated the windshield "has gone into my (unintelligible)." The controller provided vectors to airports. The pilot reported bleeding profusely, that he had three hours of fuel left, and that he was losing altitude. He asked for terrain clearance and later stated he had the controls locked and was graying out. No further transmissions were received.
Radar showed the airplane leveled at 4,000 feet heading south, then continued southwest. Military fighter jets intercepted near Florida; they observed the airplane at 3,800 feet and 90 knots, with no lights and the door open. Flares were used without response. About 10 minutes later, the airplane began a slow, controlled descent. Radar indicated a descent beginning at 2024 south of Roberts, Alabama. The airplane descended gradually for 24 nautical miles until impacting wooded terrain near Milton, Florida. One military pilot reported a slow right turn just before impact.
Search and rescue located the airplane at 2216; there was no indication the pilot was onboard at impact.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. He did not have a current FAA medical certificate; on his latest application, he reported 9,200 total flight hours.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a Piper PA-46-500TP (Meridian), manufactured in 2002, registered to the owner in 2005. It was a single-engine airplane with a Pratt & Whitney PT-6A-42A turboprop engine rated at 500 shaft horsepower. Normal operating speed range was 79 to 188 knots; stall speed was 79 to 69 knots with gear and flaps retracted. It was equipped with an EFIS and three-axis autopilot.
According to an Anderson Municipal Airport employee, the airplane was topped off with 57 gallons (385 pounds) of Jet A fuel at 1501. The pilot stated he was going to Destin to visit his father and would return the next day. The Piper PA-46-500TP Pilot's Operating Handbook lists total fuel capacity of 1,160 pounds (20 pounds unusable). Fuel burn calculations estimated approximately 360 pounds remaining at impact.
Meteorological Information
At 2156, weather at Naval Air Station Whiting Field (NDZ) in Milton, Florida, included winds from 360 degrees at 6 knots, clear skies, temperature 6°C, dew point 1°C, and altimeter 30.22 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted densely wooded terrain about 18 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, creating a 120-foot debris path heading 180 degrees magnetic. The start was marked by broken tree branches and an outboard section of the left wing with a concave impression. The main wreckage came to rest inverted. Examination revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions. All major components were accounted for; the door was partially connected and the windshield was found undamaged and secured. Both fuel tanks were breached with trace fuel. All three propeller blades exhibited leading edge damage, chordwise scratching, and s-bending.
Additional Information
Law enforcement personnel determined that the pilot deliberately misled air traffic controllers and parachuted from the aircraft. After a brief manhunt, the pilot was apprehended and incarcerated. On June 5, 2009, he pleaded guilty in United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida to willful destruction of an aircraft (18 U.S.C. § 32(a)(1)) and knowingly and willfully communicating a false distress message (14 U.S.C. § 88(c)). In his plea, he admitted that on or about December 31, 2008, Indiana state officials executed search warrants on his home and business; on January 10, 2009, he prepositioned a motorcycle in a storage facility in Harpersville, Alabama; and during the flight, after descending to 3,500 feet, he made course corrections toward Harpersville and parachuted near Childersburg, Alabama. On August 19, 2009, he was sentenced to 51 months' imprisonment and ordered to pay restitution of $34,649.07 to the Coast Guard and $871,387.85 to the aircraft creditor.