Accident Overview
On the day of the accident, a pilot and his wife planned a flight from Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport to Cottbus-Drewitz Special Airfield under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) in a Piper PA 46-350P. Prior to departure, the pilot refueled 400 liters and submitted a flight plan.
Flight Progression
According to radar recordings from the responsible air traffic control center, the aircraft departed at 0923 hrs and flew the planned route at Flight Level (FL) 190, following the flight plan. The descent began at approximately 1044 hrs. The Initial Approach Fix (IAF) Cottbus-Drewitz NDB (DRW) was overflown at about 1104 hrs at an altitude of approximately 3,900 ft AMSL with a ground speed (GS) of about 170 kt. The descent continued for the NDB-RWY-25 approach.
After flying over the intermediate approach fix at approximately 2,800 ft AMSL with a GS of about 190 kt, the aircraft executed a left turn to intercept the final approach. The radar recording from the air traffic control center ended at 1107:34 hrs, at which time the airplane was turning into the final approach at an altitude of 2,400 ft AMSL with a GS of about 200 kt.
Final Moments
Radar recordings from the German Federal Armed Forces captured the aircraft several more times within the turn radius: at 1107:50 hrs at 1,200 ft AMSL, at 1108:01 hrs at 2,700 ft AMSL, and subsequently at 1,700 ft AMSL and 1,000 ft AMSL. The recording ended at 1108:21 hrs at an altitude of 600 ft AMSL. The airplane crashed into a field south of the Polish city of Gubin and caught fire. Both occupants lost their lives.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the accident was caused by a loss of control when the aircraft changed from visual to instrument flight conditions during landing approach. Contributing factors included the loss of visual reference in the turn, the change from automatic to manual flight control during a bank attitude, and the permanently high speed during the landing approach.