History of Flight
On December 2, 2013, at 1919 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-46-310P, registration N87NF, was destroyed after an inflight breakup and impact with terrain in a heavily wooded area near Dawsonville, Georgia. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The private pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight departed Morristown Municipal Airport, New Jersey, around 1635, destined for Dekalb-Peachtree Airport in Atlanta, Georgia.
According to recorded FAA air traffic control data, the airplane checked in with Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center. The controller confirmed the pilot had local weather for the destination and asked about the airplane's heading and the ability to maintain altitude. The pilot responded that he was having autopilot troubles. The controller issued a heading of 200 degrees and an altitude of 8,000 feet mean sea level (msl). The airplane descended below 8,000 feet, and the controller revised the altitude to 7,000 feet. No further response was received, and radar contact was lost at 1918. Search and rescue was initiated, and local law enforcement received emergency calls.
A witness reported hearing the airplane fly over, the engine "sputter," and the airplane sounding like it was in an "extremely deep dive" with the pilot apparently applying full throttle.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. A third-class medical certificate issued on March 1, 2013, required corrective lenses for distant vision and glasses for near vision. The pilot reported 3,500 total flight hours and 50 hours in the previous six months.
Aircraft Information
The six-seat, low-wing, retractable gear airplane was issued an airworthiness certificate in 1987 and was registered to Culbair LLC in 2007. It was powered by a Pratt and Whitney PT-6A-34 750-shaft horsepower engine driving a four-bladed Hartzell controllable pitch propeller. The most recent annual inspection was on January 29, 2013, at which time the airframe had accumulated 5,904.4 total hours and a hobbs time of 1,516 hours.
Meteorological Conditions
At 1853, Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville, Georgia, about 12 miles southeast of the accident site, reported calm wind, visibility 4 miles in mist, overcast ceiling at 500 feet above ground level, temperature 10°C, dew point 9°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.86 inches of mercury. Atlanta composite radar at 1917 showed the last target on the leading edge of light to moderate echoes (15–35 dBZ). No lightning was detected, suggesting light to moderate rain showers without thunderstorms. GOES-13 infrared imagery at 1915 showed extensive overcast nimbostratus clouds with tops near 16,600 feet. Sunset occurred at 1726, civil twilight ended at 1754, and moonset at 1727; both the sun and moon were more than 15 degrees below the horizon at accident time.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane struck trees about 30 feet above ground level and came to rest inverted. The debris path extended approximately 2,000 feet on a 220° heading. Components were scattered, including the outboard right wing section (10 feet) and left wing section (15 feet) separated from the fuselage, and tail surfaces separated. The engine remained attached to the firewall; propeller blades exhibited rotational scoring and one blade showed S-bending. The cockpit was crushed vertically; the power and propeller levers were full forward, the condition lever midrange. Flight control continuity was confirmed through tensile overload breaks. The autopilot servos (yaw, pitch, roll) tested without anomalies, but the roll and pitch servo slip clutches were below tolerance. The pitch trim drum showed a neutral setting. Fuel was present in wing tanks and lines. The lap belts and shoulder harnesses showed no web stretching.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy on December 4, 2013, listed the cause of death as multiple blunt impact injuries. Forensic toxicology detected no ethanol or drugs.
Tests and Research
A Garmin GPSMAP 696 recovered from the wreckage recorded flight data from 1610 to 1919. The last points showed the airplane on a direct course to the destination, then a slight left turn, a right turn of about 180 degrees away from track, then a left turn of about 360 degrees with increasing bank and descent. Data from an Avidyne EX500 and Shadin engine monitor could not be retrieved due to impact damage.
A trajectory and performance study using GPS and ATC data determined that the airplane descended from about 8,000 feet msl to approximately 2,200 feet, accelerated to about 300 knots indicated airspeed, and broke up within 18 seconds. The manufacturer's flight manual specified a maximum operating limit speed (Vmo) of 172 knots and a design maneuvering speed (Va) of 137 knots at maximum gross weight.
The report also included excerpts from FAA handbooks describing spatial disorientation and the graveyard spiral illusion, but no direct link to this accident was made.