History of Flight
On March 3, 2020, about 1634 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-46-310P, registration N43368, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Bishop, Georgia. The private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan and contacted air traffic control shortly after departure from Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE), Columbia, South Carolina. Review of ATC communications and radar data revealed that the airplane was on a westerly track from CAE at about 6,000 ft mean sea level (msl) en route to Tuscaloosa Regional Airport (TCL), Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The pilot contacted the Atlanta approach controller at 1613 and was provided the current altimeter. The controller also broadcast AIRMETs for IFR conditions, mountain obscuration, turbulence, and icing.
At 1616, the controller advised the pilot that he would need to go north or south around Atlanta. The pilot first asked to stand by, then advised north and that he could go higher. The controller issued a clearance via two intersections north of Atlanta, then direct to TCL.
At 1621, the pilot requested a left deviation for weather. The controller approved and advised that the pilot would be past the line of weather in about 15 to 20 miles. At 1629, the controller advised there was a gap in the weather line about 8 miles ahead with light precipitation, and that he would turn the pilot north to go through it.
At 1630, the controller instructed the pilot to fly heading 300°. The pilot acknowledged but then advised that the heading pointed “straight into a buildup.” The controller explained he was keeping the pilot south of heavy precipitation and would turn north through a line with about 3 miles of light precipitation. The pilot said the area seemed to be closing in fast. The controller offered to turn south, but the pilot chose to go north. The controller advised heading 300° to avoid moderate precipitation. The pilot responded that he saw a gap he could go straight through. The controller acknowledged but noted moderate precipitation starting in about 1 mile extending 4 miles northbound; the pilot acknowledged.
At 1633, the controller asked about flight conditions, and the pilot replied “rain three six eight.” No further transmissions were received.
Witness Observations
A witness about 1/2 mile from the accident site reported scattered rain showers, cloud base about 2,500 to 3,000 ft, and no lightning or thunder. He heard engine noise, saw the airplane spinning toward the ground in a nose-low attitude until it disappeared from sight. He did not believe the airplane was under control and did not see parts separate. Arriving on scene minutes later, he saw the fuselage engulfed in flames.
Another witness heard the airplane, looked up, and saw it tilted left with nose pointed down, about 150 ft above, spinning once or twice. Both wings appeared attached, no parts came off. He heard engine revving up and down, then a loud crash. He noted extremely heavy rain after the accident.
A third witness outside heard a loud noise, looked up, and saw a wing and debris falling. The airplane was on fire when he arrived.
Another witness heard an explosion-like sound, saw the airplane engulfed in black smoke before disappearing behind trees, and observed two or three rectangular portions of the airplane, one with slight smoke.
Meteorological Information
The pilot did not receive a weather briefing but used ForeFlight Mobile, which included warnings of thunderstorm and heavy rain shower activity near the accident site. The airplane had XM and FIS-B weather information. Radar returns ended near the western edge of an east-west line of rain showers. The flight track showed the airplane remained about 10 to 20 miles south of the weather line until turning into a rain shower cell.
The accident site was in a warm air sector ahead of a cold front, with a low- and mid-level trough east of the site. The Storm Prediction Center issued a Convective Outlook with marginal risk for severe thunderstorms. Satellite imagery at 1630 and 1640 showed extensive cumuliform cloud cover, with tops about 22,000 ft msl.
Consolidated Storm Prediction for Aviation (CoSPA) images showed growing rain showers moving west to east with cloud tops at 28,000 ft msl. Weather radar reflectivity indicated heavy to very heavy precipitation over the accident site. The rain shower band moved southeastward, and gaps filled as more showers developed between 1614 and 1634.
The controller issued two PIREPs from other airplanes that had gone through the rain shower line. XM weather imagery and comparison with WSR-88D data indicated that the best-case scenario for XM imagery viewability before the pilot turned north at 1630 had a time stamp of 1624, with a latency of 6 to 12 minutes.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted a wooded area behind a residential property at 760 ft msl. The main wreckage was oriented on a magnetic heading of 090°. All major components were accounted for. The main wreckage consisted of the fuselage and engine. Wings, empennage, and airframe components were found along a ½-mile debris path. The right side of the fuselage was destroyed by a postimpact fire. Flight control cables were traced from the cockpit to control surfaces through impact and overload separation.
A borescope examination of the engine cylinders showed all intake and exhaust valves intact. Crankshaft and valve continuity were confirmed from front to rear. Both magnetos produced spark on all lead outputs. The two-bladed propeller remained attached; both blades had no leading edge gouges or chordwise scratches.
The postaccident examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Additional Information
Weather radar mosaic imagery from NEXRAD is available to pilots via FIS-B and private satellite weather vendors. Mosaics combine data from multiple radar sites; individual site data may not be updated with each new mosaic. The age indicator displayed to the pilot refers to the age of the mosaic creation, not the actual weather conditions. Actual age of the oldest weather data can exceed the indicated age by up to 15 minutes for satellite weather and 20 minutes for FIS-B due to latency.
The accident pilot had a valid XM subscription, and a Garmin GMX-200 (which supports XM data) was found in the airplane. The Garmin GMX-200 Pilot’s Guide states the software is not designed for use in hazardous environments requiring fail-safe performance, such as aircraft navigation.