Piper PA-46-350P accident near Lake Elmo, Minnesota, December 18, 2010
On December 18, 2010 at about 11:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-46-350P, registered N92358, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Lake Elmo, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper fuel management which resulted in the loss of engine power due to fuel starvation. Contributing to the accident was the distraction of the cabin depressurization.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 2010 · about 11:05 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Elmo, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-350P · all PA-46-350Ps on the register
- Registration
- N92358 · registry record · serial 4622147
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
About an hour after takeoff the airplane was in cruise flight at 16,500 feet mean sea level (msl) when the pilot heard a loud noise followed by a rapid cabin depressurization. The pilot rapidly descended to 10,500 feet msl. The pressurization stabilized and he continued to his destination airport. About 3 hours and 25 minutes after takeoff, the airplane was approaching the destination airport and was about 1,500 feet above ground level when the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot attempted to restart the engine by putting the mixture, propeller, and throttle controls full forward. He turned on the emergency fuel pump and engaged the starter button, but the engine did not start. The pilot executed a forced landing at night to a field that had about 2 - 2.5 feet of snow in it. During the landing roll, the left wing separated from the fuselage. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the right wing fuel tank was empty. The left wing fuel tank was intact and appeared to be full of fuel. The fuel selector was found on the left tank. The pilot reported that he was certain that he had switched tanks sometime during the climb, but was not certain if he had switched tanks after that. The pilot reported that the loss of engine power was the result of fuel starvation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fuel starvation during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of engine power (total) during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Workload management › Task allocation › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,800 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 5,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,754 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 25, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 4,318 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BWG Bowling Green KY at 7:40 pm
- Destination: ANE Anoka MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from ANE, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN11LA117.