Accident Details
On October 2, 2020, at approximately 1512 central daylight time, a Piper PA-46-500TP, registration N62ZM, sustained substantial damage during an accident near Lake Elmo, Minnesota. The airline transport pilot and a passenger received serious injuries. The flight was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Pilot Report
According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff and following the retraction of the landing gear, he noticed a "hiccup" in engine power. He immediately initiated a turn back toward the departure airport. During the turn, engine power was lost completely, and the pilot executed a forced landing into a field of standing corn.
Impact and Damage
The airplane struck the terrain, bounced, and came to rest upright in the cornfield, approximately half a mile northwest of the departure end of the runway. The right wing sustained substantial damage from the impact and a subsequent post-crash fire.
Examination Results
A post-accident examination of the engine, accessories, fuel pump, fuel control unit, flow divider valve, and fuel-oil heat exchanger revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.