Piper PA-46 (Malibu/Meridian/Mira... crash, Apr 4, 1999 (1 killed)
Piper PA-46 (Malibu/Meridian/Mirage/Matrix/M-Class) accident on April 4, 1999 near Waldron, Arkansas, United States with 1 fatality. Cause: The pilot's...
- Date: April 4, 1999
- Aircraft: Piper PA-46 (Malibu/Meridian/Mirage/Matrix/M-Class)
- Location: Waldron, Arkansas, United States
- Fatalities: 1
- Phase of flight: En route
- Cause: The pilot's encounter with icing and thunderstorm weather and loss of control, which exceeded the aircraft's design stress limits, with the pilot's limited experience in type as a factor.
A Piper Malibu Mirage on a business flight from Nashville to Addison reported icing and a fuel imbalance at 24,000 feet and asked to deviate around weather. Radio and radar contact were lost, and witnesses saw it descend from dark storm clouds in a nose-down, rotating attitude. The wreckage was scattered over about four miles and the pilot, who had about 21 hours in type, was killed.