# Accident 20101230055219A: Piper PA-46-310P, Milaca, MN, December 30, 2010 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: December 30, 2010, 10:35 local time - Place: Milaca, MN - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 45.8267° N, 93.7139° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.8267&lon=-93.7139&mi=10 - Aircraft: N9103N, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9103N-2012-11-28) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-46-310P (registry code 7104605, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-46-310p) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental TSIO-520 series (registry code 17040, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-46-310P - Reported engine: CONT MOTOR TSIO-520 SER - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 2 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - Pilot flight hours: 2,000 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN11FA133](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11FA133) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20101230055219A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE SCENE THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY ¼ MILE SOUTH OF 150TH AVENUE IN A PASTURE AREA, THE AIRCRAFT WAS ORIENTED IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION WITH THE RIGHT WING TORN OFF LAYING BETWEEN THE AIRCRAFT AND THE INITIAL POINT OF IMPACT. THE TAIL WAS BROKEN, THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND NOSE GEAR WERE TORN OFF THE AIRCRAFT. THE FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE ALL IN TACK PRIOR TO IMPACT, IT APPEARS NO IN FLIGHT BREAK UP OCCURRED. THE TOTAL DISTANCE FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT TO THE FINAL RESTING POINT OF THE FUSELAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 130 FEET. THE RIGHT WING OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEVERELY DISTORTED AND APPEARED TO TAKE THE BRUNT OF THE IMPACT FORCE. THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO CRASH IN A RIGHT WING LOW HIGH ANGLE OF DESCENT.THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE CEILINGS APPROXIMATELY 300 TO 500 FOOT OVERCAST; VISIBILITY 2 MILES IN MODERATE RAIN, SURFACE TEMPERATURE WAS +2 DEGREES CENTIGRADE. AIRMET ZULU 1 WAS ISSUED AT 1445Z FOR MODERATE ICING BELOW FL160. DATA OBTAINED FROM MESABA AIRLINES SAAB 340 AIRCRAFT WITH TAMDAR EQUIPMENT INDICATED THERE WAS AN INVERSION LAYER ALOFT, TEMPERATURES ALOFT WERE AS HIGH AS 44 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THE FREEZING LEVEL WAS APPROXIMATELY 8000 FEET, WITH ICING ABOVE 8,000. NEXRAD RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN OVER THE ENTIRE AREA N9103N FLEW THROUGH.THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF AIRFRAME ICING ON THE WRECKAGE, HOWEVER UPON ARRIVAL WE EXPERIENCED LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN FALL, WITH OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURES OF 36 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. A REVIEW OF THE MSP ARTCC RADAR DATA INDICATED THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT 16,800 FEET WITH A GROUND SPEED AT 123KTS WHEN THE EVENT OCCURRED. THE CONTROLLER INSTRUCTED HIM TO CLIMB AND MAINTAIN FL 190. THE PILOT RESPONDED BACK THAT HE HAD LOST HIS AUTOPILOT AND WAS IN AN UNUSUAL ATTITUDE AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO RECOVER. THE CONTROLLER HAD DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING THIS AND HE REPEATED IT THREE TIMES. THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE IN A LEFT TURN AND THE GROUND SPEED SLOWED TO AS LOW AS 9KTS. NO CORRECTIVE ACTION --AIRMAN DECEASED ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB CEN11FA133](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11FA133), Dec 30, 2010: Piper PA-46-310P (N9103N), Milaca, MN, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot did not recover from an unusual attitude while operating in instrument meteorological conditions following a disconnect of the autopilot system for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the… ## Other reports on N9103N (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20000111006549A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000111006549A), Jan 11, 2000: Piper PA46310P (N9103N), Bradford, PA, No damage. (-23) The following narrative was derived from interviews of the pilot, passengers, witnesses and an on-scene invstigation conducted by personnel of hte… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.