Socata TBM-700

On final approach to Monroe Municipal Airport Runway 20, the single engine airplane went out of control and crashed in a gravel quarry located north of the airfield. Both occupants were killed. They were completing a flight from Oshkosh.

After takeoff from New Bedford Airport Runway 05 in rain falls, the pilot made two successive turns to the left and reached the maximum altitude of 750 feet. The single engine airplane started to lose height and speed then struck a car on highway 195 and crashed in the embankment separating both highways, bursting into flames. The accident occurred 6,6 km southwest of New Bedford Airport. Both occupants in the airplane were killed and the car's drive was injured.

On approach to Anoka County-Blaine Airport Runway 09, the single engine airplane entered a sharp turn to the left then descended to the ground in a near vertical attitude before crashing onto a house located in the north part of Brooklyn Park, some 9 km short of runway, bursting into flames. The airplane and the house were destroyed by a post crash fire and the pilot, sole on board was killed. There were no casualties on the ground.

The single engine airplane departed Locarno Airfield on a private flight to Grenchen, carrying two passengers and one pilot. While in a circuit for an approach to Grenchen Airport Runway 06, the airplane stalled and crashed in a pasture located in Leuzigen, about 4 km east of the airport. The airplane was destroyed and all three occupants were injured. At the time of the accident, the visibility was estimated to be 4 km with wind from 070 at 6 knots with mist, scattered at 800 feet and overcast at 1,400 feet.

The single engine airplane departed Fazenda Santa Maria Airfield located 116 km west of Formosa do Rio Preto, Bahia, on a flight to Brasília, carrying four passengers and one pilot. On final approach to Brasília-Nelson Piquet Airport runway 28, the pilot encountered marginal weather conditions with crosswind. The airplane impacted the ground in the grassy area, approximately 3 metres beyond the lateral edge of runway 28 with no evidence of prior ground contact or impact. The terrain alongside the runway sloped downward and was covered with native vegetation (cerrado biome). The pilot attempted a go around procedure but the airplane veered off runway to the left at a speed of 70 knots and collided with trees, coming to rest 120 metres further. The airplane was destroyed and all five occupants escaped unhurt.

The pilot was performing a short cross-country flight, which was his third solo flight in the high-performance single-engine airplane. The airplane departed and climbed to 20,000 ft mean sea level (msl) before beginning to descend. About 8 minutes before the accident, the airplane was southbound, descending to 11,000 ft, and the pilot established communications with air traffic control (ATC). About 4 minutes later, the controller cleared the pilot to descend to 10,000 ft msl and proceed direct to his destination; the pilot acknowledged the clearance. While descending through 13,000 ft msl, the airplane entered a descending left turn. The controller observed the left turn and asked the pilot if everything was alright; there was no response from the pilot. The controller’s further attempts to establish communications were unsuccessful. Following the descending left turn, the airplane entered a high speed, nose-down descent toward terrain. A witness observed the airplane at a high altitude in a steep nose-down descent toward the terrain. The witness noted no signs of distress, such as smoke, fire, or parts coming off the airplane, and he heard the airplane’s engine operating at full throttle. The airplane impacted two powerlines, trees, and the terrain in a shallow descent with a slightly left-wing low attitude. Examination of the accident site revealed a long debris field that was consistent with an impact at a high speed and relatively shallow flightpath angle. All major components of the airplane were located in the debris field at the accident site. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A performance study indicated the airplane entered a left roll and dive during which the airplane exceeded the airspeed, load factor, and bank angle limitations published in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH). An important but unknown factor during these maneuvers was the behavior of the pilot and his activity on the flight controls during the initial roll and dive. The pilot responded normally to ATC communications only 98 seconds before the left roll started. It is difficult to reconcile an alert and attentive pilot with the roll and descent that occurred, but there is insufficient information available to determine whether the pilot was incapacitated or distracted during any part of the roll and dive maneuver. Although all the available toxicological specimens contained ethanol (the alcohol contained in alcoholic drinks such as beer and wine), the levels were very low and below the allowable level for flight (0.04 gm/dl). While it is possible that some of the identified ethanol had been ingested, it is also possible that all or most of the identified ethanol was from sources other than ingestion (such as postmortem production). In either case, the levels were too low to have caused incapacitation. It is therefore unlikely that any effects from ethanol contributed to the circumstances of the accident. There was minimal available autopsy evidence to support any determination of incapacitation. As a result, it could not be determined from the available evidence whether medical incapacitation contributed to the accident.

The pilot was conducting an instrument approach at the conclusion of a cross-country flight when the airplane entered a shallow climb and left turn away from the runway heading about 0.5-mile from the intended runway. According to airspeeds calculated from automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast position data, the airplane’s calibrated airspeed was 166 knots when it crossed over the final approach fix inbound toward the runway and was about 84 knots when it was on a 0.5-mile final approach. The airplane continued to decelerate to 74 knots while it was in a shallow climb and left turn away from the runway heading. At no point during the approach did the pilot maintain the airframe manufacturer’s specified approach speed of 85 knots. The airplane impacted the ground in an open grass field located to the left of the extended runway centerline. The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in a wings level attitude. The postaccident examination did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The altitude and airspeed trends during the final moments of the flight were consistent with the airplane entering an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude. Based on the configuration of the airplane at the accident site, the pilot likely was retracting the landing gear and flaps for a go around when the airplane entered the aerodynamic stall. The airplane was operating above the maximum landing weight, and past the aft center-of-gravity limit at the time of the accident which can render the airplane unstable and difficult to recover from an aerodynamic stall. Additionally, without a timely corrective rudder input, the airplane tends to roll left after a rapid application of thrust at airspeeds less than 70 knots, including during aerodynamic stalls. Although an increase in thrust is required for a go around, the investigation was unable to determine how rapidly the pilot increased thrust, or if a torque-roll occurred during the aerodynamic stall.