Piper PA-46-310P Crash in Milaca, Minnesota (N9103N)

Flight Details and Accident Sequence On December 30, 2010, at 0958 central standard time, a Piper PA-46-310P, registration N9103N, collided with terrain in Milaca, Minnesota. The aircraft was operating under instrument flight rules (IFR) in instrument meteorological conditions, en route from Aitkin Municipal Airport (AIT) to Beaumont Municipal Airport (BMT). The pilot, a 65-year-old private pilot, a passenger, and a dog on board were fatally injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight departed AIT at approximately 0930. The pilot requested and received an IFR clearance from Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center, with initial altitude instructions ranging from 5,000 to 22,000 feet. At 0950:44, radar data indicated the aircraft entered a descending right turn at 16,800 feet, followed by a 360-degree right turn and a 360-degree left turn. The pilot subsequently reported losing the autopilot and being in an unusual attitude. The last radar contact was recorded at 0955, nearly over the accident site.