Piper PA 46-350P incident near Owensboro, Kentucky, April 25, 2010
On April 25, 2010 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Piper PA 46-350P, registered N46PT, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (cruise) near Owensboro, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A failure of the pilot's side window due to undetected cracking around the lower aft portion of the storm window cutout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 2010 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Owensboro, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 46-350P · all PA 46-350Ps on the register
- Registration
- N46PT · registry record · serial 4622108
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While flying at 15,000 feet in the pressurized airplane, the pilot's side window blew out. The pilot successfully diverted to a nearby airport and landed uneventfully after performing an instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions. Postincident examination of the window revealed that the primary fracture, which ultimately resulted in the in-flight loss of the window, exhibited signatures of preexisting cracking. The airframe manufacturer had previously issued a service bulletin that detailed inspections of the window for cracking, and while the cracking observed on the incident window occurred outside of the area called out in the service bulletin, review of the incident airplane's maintenance records showed no evidence that any portion of the service bulletin had ever been complied with.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Windows › windshield system › Flight compartment windows › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,900 hours in all; 230 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: February 1, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: T & K LLC
The flight
- Departed from: MDH Carbondale IL
- Destination: INT Winston-Salem NC
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 13 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.38 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from OWB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N46PT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.