On May 12, 2024, a PIPER PA46-500TP, registration N241PM, was involved in an accident near Marianna, Arkansas. The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot had filed an instrument flight rules flight plan from Pensacola International Airport (PNS) in Florida to Batesville Regional Airport (BVX) in Arkansas.
What happened
Flight track data from the FAA indicates the aircraft departed Pensacola at approximately 1721, climbed to flight level 280, and maintained a direct course toward Batesville. At approximately 1945, the pilot began a descent from FL 280. By 1955, the aircraft entered a rapid descent and a spiraling right turn. During the final portion of this turn, the calculated descent rate exceeded 17,000 feet per minute. The aircraft's last observed track occurred at 1956:12, and the fuselage came to rest approximately 0.1 nm northwest of that position.
While descending through FL 240, the pilot reported continuous moderate chop to air traffic control. Communication and radar contact were lost when the aircraft reached 7,800 feet. An alert notification (ALNOT) was issued at 2006.
The wreckage was located at approximately 2300 in a sparsely populated agricultural area. The impact resulted in 2 fatal injuries. The left wing was detached at the wing root and found in two pieces near the fuselage. The engine remained attached to the engine mount and was embedded in the ground, with an odor of jet fuel present at the scene. Several components, including the left horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer, rudder, elevator, right aileron, right flap, and the outboard portion of the right wing, were not located at the accident site.
Weather analysis for the time of the accident showed a G-AIRMET for occasional moderate turbulence between FL 210 and FL 410 over northeast Arkansas and Tennessee. Additionally, a SIGMET was in effect for embedded thunderstorms in the region. Weather soundings indicated strong vertical wind shears between 24,000 feet and 12,000 feet MSL, with a high possibility of moderate or greater turbulence.