Crash of a Piper PA-46R-350T Malibu Matrix in Folkston
Date & Time:
Apr 10, 2025 at 1608 LT
Registration:
N179ST
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Cornelia – Folkston
MSN:
46-92003
YOM:
2008
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total hours on type:
194.00
Aircraft flight hours:
1502
Circumstances:
At the conclusion of the instrument flight rules flight, the pilot approached the 2,500-ft-long by 50-ft-wide runway at the destination airport. The pilot was unable to recall any of the events that transpired after the landing flare, but the front seat passenger described that the airplane’s nose pitched up as the airplane descended below the tops of the trees that surrounded the airport. The pilot then initiated a go-around, but the airplane did not climb as expected and drifted left towards the trees. The left wing then dropped before the airplane struck the ground, resulting in a postimpact fire. The fuselage and left wing were substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot reported, and a postaccident examination of the wreckage confirmed, that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable cause:
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during a go-around.
Final Report:
