Piper PA46-500TP accident near Daytona Beach, Florida, December 17, 2003
On December 17, 2003 at about 2:33 pm local time, a Piper PA46-500TP, registered N155BM, was destroyed in an accident near Daytona Beach, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The unqualified pilot's continued flight into known instrument meteorological conditions which resulted in spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of aircraft control. Factors were the pilot's lack of instrument flight experience and the low ceiling.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 2003 · about 2:33 pm local time
- Place
- Daytona Beach, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA46-500TP · all PA46-500TPs on the register
- Registration
- N155BM · no longer on the register · serial 4697053
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain following an in-flight loss of control during climb after takeoff. Meteorological information indicates that the cloud ceilings were between 1,200 and 1,700 feet above ground level at the time of the accident. While airborne, the accident pilot reported to another pilot that the cloud ceiling was 1,500 feet. Radar data shows that the airplane flight profile became erratic once it had climbed above about 1,700 feet pressure altitude. The final flight path sequence depicted by the radar data shows a right-hand turn of decreasing radius with an associated rapid rate of descent. The last radar return coincided with the accident location. The non-instrument rated pilot had logged 7.0 hours of simulated instrument experience. The pilot had logged 35.8 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane, of which, all but 0.3 hours was listed as cross-country time. No records of training in the same make and model airplane were discovered. No pre-impact mechanical deficiencies were found during the post-accident examination of the wreckage.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,914 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,725 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 9, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 30 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 4,850 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 44J Daytona Beach FL at 2:28 pm
- Destination: LFK Lufkin TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 16 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,700 ft; clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from DAB, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.