Piper PA-42-720 Crash in Königstein/Taunus

Incident Overview and Flight Details On January 19, 2009, a Piper Aircraft Corporation PA-42-720 (serial number 42-5501055) was destroyed in a controlled flight into terrain accident near Königstein/Taunus, Germany. The 51-year-old pilot was killed. The aircraft, a 1990-built twin-engine low-wing metal aircraft with retractable landing gear, was being transferred from Frankfurt/Main Airport to the Reichelsheim airfield, which was 22 nautical miles away. The pilot had previously inspected the icy runway at Reichelsheim that morning. ## Flight Progression and Final Moments The pilot requested clearance from Frankfurt-Delivery at 12:28 local time and received approval to fly to Reichelsiam via the November waypoint, not above 1,500 feet. At 12:36:42, the aircraft was first detected by radar over runway 25L at flight level 008. The pilot was instructed to turn right toward November but initially continued on a north heading, climbing briefly to 1,800 feet MSL before descending to 1,400 feet MSL. At 12:39:29, the aircraft left the control zone. The final radar signal was recorded at 12:40:37 north of Kronberg/Taunus at 1,460 feet MSL, where the aircraft collided with the rising terrain of the Taunus. ## Pilot Background and Aircraft Status The pilot held a Commercial Pilot License (CPL (A)) with type ratings for the PA-42 and had 2,900 total flight hours, including 449 hours on the PA-42. The aircraft had 9,332:29 total airframe hours and was equipped with various navigation systems, including a GPS and GPWS. It was not fitted with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, as neither was required by regulations. ## Meteorological Conditions At the time of the accident, Frankfurt/Main reported light winds, visibility between 4 and 9 km, rain, and a temperature of 4°C. The German Weather Service (DWD) noted that the Taunus region was classified as X-RAY, indicating poor visibility and low cloud bases. The DWD concluded that cloud bases in the Taunus were likely between 900 and 1,200 feet MSL, with visibility potentially under 100 meters in the highlands. The pilot had accessed weather data via the DWD's self-briefing system but did not request individual flight weather briefing.