# Accident 20231013017209A: Piper Aircraft Inc PA 46-350P, Orcas Island, WA, October 13, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 13, 2023, 18:47 local time
- Place: Orcas Island, WA
- Airport: Orcas Island Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Rotation
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 48.7083° N, 122.9106° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=48.7083&lon=-122.9106&mi=10
- Aircraft: N509Z, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N509Z-2024-09-26) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA 46-350P (registry code 7104619, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-46-350p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A (registry code 41999, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-tio-540-ae2a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA 46-350P
- Reported engine: LYCOMING TIO-540-AE2A
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 659 total, 659 in this make and model, 44 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR24LA017](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA017) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20231013017209A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT STARTED APPROACH INTO ORCAS ISLAND AIRPORT. REALIZED THE PILOT WAS HIGHER AND FASTER THAN WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN UPON REACHING RUNWAY. PILOT DECIDED TO CONDUCT GO AROUND AND APPLIED FULL THROTTLE AND RETRATCED ALL FLAPS. AIRCRAFT COULD NOT SUSTAIN LIFT DUE TO FLAP BEING RETRACTED. AIRCRAFT CAME IN CONTACT WITH GROUND AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANCIAL DAMAGE. NO INJURIES.

## 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 WPR24LA017](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA017), Oct 13, 2023: Piper PA 46-350P (N509Z), Eastsound, WA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's unstable approach and improper configuration of the flaps during a go-around which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with terrain.

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.