2003 Piper PA-46-350P Malibu accident at Egelsbach

Overview and flight details On 15 January 2003, a Piper PA-46-350P Malibu was involved in an accident at Egelsbach. The aircraft was on a private instrument flight rules (IFR) trip from Wien-Schwechat, Austria, to Egelsbach. Night conditions were present at the destination. ## Approach and collision Frankfurt approach control cleared the aircraft to descend to 2,500 ft on a 290° course. The IFR portion of the flight ended at 17:39 local time, after which the pilot was instructed to continue to 1,500 ft under visual meteorological conditions (VMC) and land visually on runway 27. The pilot reported the runway in sight between 4 and 5 nautical miles from the airport. About 230 m before the theoretical touchdown point, marked by an approach lighting system, the low-wing aircraft struck the overhead line of the Frankfurt–Darmstadt railway and then hit the ground. The aircraft was heavily damaged, and the pilot sustained minor injuries. ## Damage and third-party impact The collision caused significant damage to the railway overhead lines. Four tracks used by S-Bahn and long-distance services were affected. Repairs on the busy line required hours-long diversions that continued into the next day. ## Meteorological and operational information The German Weather Service reported overcast conditions at 2,200 ft, with visibility greater than 10 km and a pressure of 1,025 hPa. Recorded radio communications with Frankfurt approach control and Egelsbach air traffic surveillance showed no signs of technical problems or other difficulties in handling the aircraft. ## Airport and approach aids Egelsbach has an east–west asphalt runway measuring 990 by 25 m, as well as a parallel grass runway. On the east side of the airfield, railway overhead lines run at 10.35 m above field elevation. Because of this, the threshold of runway 27 is displaced, reducing the landing distance available to 840 m. An approach path indicator (APAPI) is installed to the left of the runway for runway 27. It uses a two-light system to provide a visual glide path. The required approach angle is 4.5°. If the glide path is followed exactly, the vertical clearance over the overhead lines is 15.30 m. ## Investigation findings The APAPI system was operating normally during the approach. Using an optical glide path at night is recommended but not mandatory at the uncontrolled Egelsbach airfield. The report noted that maintaining a steep glide path requires increased attention, particularly with high-performance, fast aircraft such as the PA-46-350P Malibu. The investigation could not determine why the aircraft descended below adequate clearance over the overhead lines in the short final approach. The report was based on the pilot’s statements, witness accounts, radar and radio recordings, weather service data, and approval authority documents for the APAPI installation.