# Accident 20231231021259A: Piper Aircraft Inc PA46R-350T, Mooresville, NC, December 31, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 31, 2023, 12:13 local time
- Place: Mooresville, NC
- Airport: Lake Norman Airpark
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.6246° N, 80.9123° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.6246&lon=-80.9123&mi=10
- Aircraft: N539MA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N539MA-2025-02-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA46R-350T (registry code 7104610, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa46r-350t) (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 PA46R-350T
- Reported engine: LYCOMING TIO-540-AE2A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,545 total, 61 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA24FA078](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24FA078) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20231231021259A

## Narrative

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

ON DECEMBER 31, 2023, AT 1213 EASTERN STANDARD TIME (EST), A PIPER PA-46R-350T AIRPLANE, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT NEAR MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED AS A TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT.

THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED RUNWAY 32 AT LAKE NORMAN AIRPARK (14A), MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, AT 1152 EST AND CLIMBED TO 3,000 ON A NORTHWESTERLY HEADING FOLLOWING THE CATAWBA RIVER FOR ABOUT 30 NAUTICAL MILES (NM). AT 1202 THE PILOT MADE A LEFT TURN AND FLEW A DIRECT COURSE BACK TOWARD 14A. ADS-B INFORMATION REVEALED THE SPEED WAS ABOUT 200 KTS FOR THE ENTIRE FLIGHT UNTIL ABOUT 1210, WHEN THERE WAS A NOTABLE CHANGE IN AIRSPEED AND THE BEGINNING OF A DESCENT. THE PILOT REPORTED A TWO-MILE FINAL TO RUNWAY 14 AT 14A, WITH NO ISSUES REPORTED AT THAT TIME. A DOOR SURVEILLANCE VIDEO OF THE AIRPLANE, NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE, INDICATED NO NOTABLE ENGINE SOUND. THE LAST ADS-B DATA SHOWED THE AIRPLANE AT 1213 AT 850 FT MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL) AND .75 NM FROM THE THRESHOLD OF RUNWAY 14. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TREES AND CAME TO REST IN A VACANT LOT .68 NM FROM THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD (.57NM FROM AIRPORT PROPERTY), AT A SITE ELEVATION OF 791 FT MSL.

THE WRECKAGE CAME TO REST UPRIGHT IN A VACANT LOT AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, MOORESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, ORIENTED TOWARD 131° TRUE AT COORDINATES 35.624613, -080.912384.

THE SITE WAS ON THE SHORE OF LAKE NORMAN IN A ROLLING, WOODED, RESIDENTIAL AREA. THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 58 FT AND 148° TRUE FROM A GROUPING OF TREES. SEVERAL OF THESE TREES DISPLAYED IMPACT DAMAGE AND FALLEN BRANCHES WERE IN THE DEBRIS PATH. THE ACCIDENT SITE ELEVATION WAS ABOUT 791 FT MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL). THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE. ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE AIRPLANE WERE RECOVERED IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE AIRPLANE. A GROUND SCAR ABOUT 18 FT IN LENGTH AND ORIENTED TO 159° LED UP TO THE AIRPLANE. A POSITION LIGHT FROM THE LEFT WING WAS IMBEDDED IN THE GROUND SCAR.

REVIEW OF MAINTENANCE LOGBOOKS REVEALED THAT THE FACTORY OVERHAULED ENGINE WAS INSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE ON AUGUST 15, 2023, AT A TACHOMETER TIME OF 1,208.6 HOURS. INSTALLATION OF THE LEFT AND RIGHT TURBOCHARGERS AFTER REPAIR BY HARTZELL ENGINE TECHNOLOGIES FOR COMPLIANCE WITH LYCOMING SPECIAL ADVISORY SA-203, AND HET SB-203 ON 9-18-2023 HOBBS 1211.3.

TASK # T-EA68-FY24-0516

## 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 ERA24FA078](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24FA078), Dec 31, 2023: Piper PA46R-350T (N539MA), Mooresville, NC, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: A missing induction clamp, which allowed the induction hose to the left side intercooler to become disconnected, resulting in a total loss of engine power due to an overly rich fuel/air mixture.

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.

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