Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu Meridian, N2445F: Fatal accident occurred February 13, 2022 at Johnson County Executive Airport (KOJC), Olathe, Kansas

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 traveled to the scene of this accident. 

Additional Participating Entities:

Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Kansas City, Missouri

Piper Aircraft

Quadrant Investments 1 LLC

https://registry.faa.gov/N2445F

Location: Olathe, Kansas

Accident Number: CEN22FA119

Date and Time: February 13, 2022, 10:20 Local

Registration: N2445F

Aircraft: PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA46-500TP 

Injuries: 1 Fatal

Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On February 13, 2022, at 1020 central standard time, a Piper PA-46-500TP, N2445F, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident at the Johnson County Executive Airport (OJC), Olathe, Kansas. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part91 personal flight.

It was reported that the airplane had recently undergone an annual inspection and the pilot was to fly the airplane back to his home base of operations. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight from OJC to the Albuquerque International Sunport Airport (ABQ), Albuquerque, New Mexico. Preliminary communication data indicated that the pilot contacted the OJC controller and the OJC controller issued an IFR clearance for the flight to ABQ. Once the airplane had taxied to the runway, the OJC controller issued a takeoff clearance with instructions to fly a heading of 340° to an altitude of 5,000 ft. msl. About one minute later the pilot transmitted “we gotta come back around four five foxtrot”, and the tower controller immediately cleared the airplane for landing. No further transmissions were received from the accident airplane.

Flight track data for the accident flight showed that the airplane began the takeoff roll on runway 36 at OJC at 1019:42. The airplane accelerated, reaching a peak ground speed of 80 kts about 2,250 ft. down the 4,097 ft. long runway. The airplane then drifted slightly to the right and slowed before turning back toward the left. The airplane’s groundspeed continued to decrease throughout the remainder of the data. The final recorded position was about 100 ft southeast of the initial impact point.

The airplane impacted the ground on the extended runway centerline about 400 ft. past the departure end of runway 36. The airplane came to rest upright with its fuselage oriented in a southeasterly direction. There was a postimpact fire that burned the wings and forward fuselage aft to the rear spar carry-through structure. The fuselage aft of the cabin, including the empennage, was intact. There was a fan shaped burn area on the ground that extended from the aircraft wreckage in a southerly direction.

The airplane and engine were recovered for further examination.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: PIPER AIRCRAFT INC

Registration: N2445F

Model/Series: PA46-500TP

Aircraft Category: Airplane

Amateur Built:

Operator: 

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: KOJC,1070 ft msl 

Observation Time: 09:53 Local

Distance from Accident Site: 0 Nautical Miles

Temperature/Dew Point: -2°C /-12°C

Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear 

Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 15 knots / , 360°

Lowest Ceiling: None 

Visibility: 10 miles

Altimeter Setting: 30.35 inches Hg 

Type of Flight Plan Filed: IFR

Departure Point: Olathe, KS 

Destination: Albuquerque, NM (ABQ)

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal

Aircraft Damage: Destroyed

Passenger Injuries:

Aircraft Fire: On-ground

Ground Injuries: 

Aircraft Explosion: None

Total Injuries: 1 Fatal

Latitude, Longitude: 38.847598,-94.737584

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation may contact them by email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. You can also call the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.

 

Susie and Robert Ming in 2015 took part in a project with other community leaders to give some idea of what it is like to live in poverty and have to depend on food from a charity. They picked out food from the South County Outreach food pantry in Irvine for their family of of five to have as meals for a week. Robert Ming was on the food pantry’s board at the time.

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Federal authorities are searching for the cause of a small plane crash at a suburban Kansas City, Kansas, airport that killed former Laguna Niguel mayor and councilman Robert Ming.

Ming’s Piper PA-46-500TP Malibu Meridian plane was attempting to take off around 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe, Kansas, headed for Albuquerque, New Mexico, television station KSHB reported. Witnesses said the plane crashed and erupted in flames.

Ming, 51, who was identified by the Kansas Highway Patrol, was the only person aboard the plane.

Ming, an attorney who founded his own law firm in 2015, served on the Laguna Niguel City Council from 2006 to 2014, including two stints as mayor, according to a statement from the city. He earned his law degree at Pepperdine University and later joined its law school’s board of advisors; shortly after graduating, Ming was a law clerk for Judge Lance Ito during O.J. Simpson’s murder trial.

Ming helped found the Laguna Niguel Military Support Foundation to assist a Marine regiment based at Camp Pendleton and a National Guard regiment from Los Alamitos; Ming also was involved with the South Coast YMCA, Saddleback Community College Foundation and the Laguna Niguel Lion’s Club, among other civic activities.

Orange County business and public officials who worked with Ming remembered him as an honest, straightforward person who had his community’s interests at heart.

Lucy Dunn, who recently retired as CEO of the Orange County Business Council, worked with Ming on the Association of California Cities – Orange County; Ming was founding president when it was created in 2011.

“You sort of always knew where he stood on issues and whether you agreed or not, you stayed friends,” she said.

Yorba Linda Councilman Gene Hernandez, who served on various committees with Ming over the years, recalled his honest and clear-headed approach to civic service.

Ming was “just a good guy – and in politics you don’t always get that,” Hernandez said. “I think his hallmark will be that he treated everyone with dignity and respect.”

Laguna Niguel Councilman Fred Minagar, who served alongside Ming on the city’s Planning Commission, called news of his death “devastating” and remembered him as “a true leader” in the city.

While on the council, Ming helped approve key projects to renovate the amphitheater, put in a splash pad and build a community center at Crown Valley Park, Minagar said.

“I can say this, that I do recall vividly over the years he wouldn’t hesitate to dedicate his time to the city of Laguna Niguel,” Minagar said.

Ming and his wife, Susie, have four children.

It’s not yet clear what led to the plane crash. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate to try to determine the cause.

In a video posted Monday to the Kansas City Star’s website, NTSB investigator in charge John Brannen said the agency had completed its on-scene probe and would be taking the plane and engine to specialized facilities to examine them.

Ming, a licensed pilot, had come to the Johnson County airport for his plane’s annual inspection, after which – according to his flight plan – his destination was Albuquerque, Brannen said.

https://www.ocregister.com

Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board say it may be a year before the cause behind Sunday's fatal plane crash at Johnson County Executive Airport. Early investigation shows the plane entered into a steep dive, crashed first on the front-left portion of the plane before it burst into flames with pilot Robert Douglas Ming inside. Above, NTSB investigator John Brannen, left, and Johnson County Airport Commission deputy director Larry Peet address the media at a news conference Monday afternoon.

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OLATHE, Kansas — The victim of the deadly plane crash on Sunday in Olathe, Kansas, has been identified as Robert Douglas Ming, 51, of California.

Ming was the founding partner at Quadrant Law Group and former mayor and city council member for the City of Laguna Niguel.

"I've known Robert for probably 15 to 20 years and he was an incredible man. His leadership really has shown in many areas of our community and our community is heartbroken by this loss and we mourn with his family," Elaine Gennawey, current Laguna Niguel Mayor, said.

Ming is survived by his wife and four children.

"When there was something that needed to be done, Robert found a way to do it and he always led in a very positive way and a very kind way and always communicated very honestly," Gennawey said.

The plane crash happened after 10 a.m. on Sunday at the Johnson County Executive Airport.

Monday, investigators said Ming brought his aircraft to the airport for an annual inspection and was bound for Albuquerque, New Mexico.

There were no other passengers on board the flight.

"The investigation right now is really in the very, very early stages. We're doing on scene documentation here on the airport. We have a salvage and recovery crew that is in place right now," John Brannen, senior air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, said.

The NTSB spent Monday going through the wreckage of the plane crash. Brannen said the engine will be sent to another location for a more detailed investigation.

"We don't have a good indication right now of whether he did or did not have power, so one of the things that we'll be doing in the future is examining the engine and the internal components of the engine to see if we can determine if there was power on the airplane," Brannen said.

Sunday's deadly crash is the second crash this month at the Johnson County Executive Airport. The first was on Feb. 4 and the passengers survived the crash.

"It's rare that something happens on one airport so soon after another, it's tragic, that's the main thing," Larry Peet, deputy director at the Johnson County Airport Commission, said. "It's an accident and accidents happen just like highways and we look into it as an industry and NTSB and FAA and see if there's anything we can learn from this."

The investigation into Sunday's crash will take nearly one year to fully complete.

https://www.kshb.com