Piper PA-46-350P accident near Destin, Florida, October 3, 2005
On October 3, 2005 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-46-350P, registered N9199P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Destin, Florida (Destin-Fort Walton Beach airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate design of the engine mount which led to cracking of the mount resulting in a loss of directional control and collapse of the nose landing gear. A contributing factor was the failure of maintenance personnel to comply with a service bulletin to inspect the engine mount for cracks.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 2005 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Destin, Florida · Destin-Fort Walton Beach · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-350P · all PA-46-350Ps on the register
- Registration
- N9199P · registry record · serial 4622107
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the landing seemed normal for a few seconds, and then the airplane started to swerve to the right. He tried to compensate with the application of hard left brake and full left aileron, but the airplane continued swerving to the right and departed the runway. The nose gear collapsed, and the airplane then slid approximately 300 feet on the main landing gear and the underside of the cowling before coming to a stop. Examination of the airplane revealed that the engine mount was fractured at the right nose gear actuator attach foot. Rust was visible on the fracture surface, indicating the crack was pre-existing. The crack was in the area that was the subject of a Piper Service Bulletin. The Service Bulletin required operators to inspect the engine mounts for cracks after every 100 hours of flight time, until the engine mount was replaced with a newer model which incorporated one-piece feet at the nose gear actuator attach points. The engine mount installed in the airplane was the original Piper design configuration (two-piece welded foot design). Review of the airplane's maintenance records indicated that the Service Bulletin had not been complied with at the most recent annual inspection conducted 89.1 flight hours prior to the accident.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,035 hours in all; 1,536 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 4,107 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,099.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2005; 89.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KCHA Chattanooga TN at 3:15 pm
- Destination: KDTS Destin FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 4,999 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from DTS
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.
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 MIA06LA002.