Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu Meridian, N62ZM: Accident occurred October 02, 2020 near Lake Elmo Airport (21D), Washington County, Minnesota

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident. 

Additional Participating Entity:

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Minneapolis, Minnesota 

 

https://registry.faa.gov/N62ZM

Location: Lake Elmo, MN 

Accident Number: CEN21LA004

Date & Time: October 2, 2020, 15:12 Local

Registration: N62ZM

Aircraft: Piper PA46

Injuries: 2 Serious

Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On October 2, 2020, about 1512 central daylight time (CDT), a Piper PA-46-500TP, N62ZM, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Lake Elmo, Minnesota. The airline transport pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff from runway 32 at the Lake Elmo airport (21D) and following landing gear retraction, he noticed a “hiccup” in the engine power and immediately started a turn back towards the airport. During the turn, all engine power was lost and the pilot executed a forced landing into a field of standing corn.

The airplane impacted the terrain, bounced, and came to rest upright in the corn about ½ mile northwest of the departure end of runway 32. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing as a result of the impact and post-crash fire.

The airplane was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A turboprop engine.

A detailed wreckage and engine examination is pending.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Piper

Registration: N62ZM

Model/Series: PA46

Aircraft Category: Airplane

Amateur Built: No

Operator: On file 

Operating Certificate(s) Held: None

Operator Designator Code:

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: VMC

Condition of Light: Day

Observation Facility, Elevation: KSTP,711 ft msl 

Observation Time: 14:53 Local

Distance from Accident Site: 9 Nautical Miles

Temperature/Dew Point: 10°C /-3°C

Lowest Cloud Condition: Few / 5000 ft AGL

Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: / ,

Lowest Ceiling: None

Visibility: 10 miles

Altimeter Setting: 30.19 inches Hg 

Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR

Departure Point: Lake Elmo, MN 

Destination: Mesquite, TX (HQZ)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Serious 

Aircraft Damage: Substantial

Passenger Injuries: 1 Serious 

Aircraft Fire: On-ground

Ground Injuries: 

Aircraft Explosion: None

Total Injuries: 2 Serious 

Latitude, Longitude: 44.997492,-92.855681 (est)