Piper PA-46-310P accident near Bronson, Florida, March 17, 1991
On March 17, 1991 at about 3:36 pm local time, a Piper PA-46-310P, registered N9112K, was destroyed in an accident near Bronson, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ACTIVATE THE PITOT HEAT BEFORE ASCENDING ABOVE THE FREEZING LEVEL IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), FOLLOWED BY HIS IMPROPER RESPONSE TO ERRONEOUS AIRSPEED INDICATIONS THAT RESULTED FROM BLOCKAGE OF THE PITOT TUBE BY ATMOSPHERIC ICING. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE PILOT'S LACK OF CURRENCY IN FLYING IN IMC.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 1991 · about 3:36 pm local time
- Place
- Bronson, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-46-310P · all PA-46-310Ps on the register
- Registration
- N9112K · no longer on the register · serial 4608042
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ON AN IFR FLT IN IMC & RCVD CLNC TO CLIMB & MAINT FL220. DRG CLIMB, HE INFORMED ARTCC, '. . . WE'RE HAVING A PROBLEM.' WHEN ASKED TO SAY AGAIN, HE BGN THE SAME REPLY, THEN NO FURTHER RDO COM WAS RCVD FM THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY AN INFLT BREAKUP OCCURRED & WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVR A WIDE AREA. THE RGT OUTBOARD WING PANEL, HRZNTL STABILIZER, ELEVATORS, RGT AILERON & PARTS OF THE RUDDER WERE FND AT A DSTC FM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. THESE DISPLAYED EVIDENCE OF OVERSTRESS FAILURE. NO PREEXISTING CRACKS OR FATIGUE WAS FND. RADAR & WX DATA SHOWED DEV FM NORMAL FLT BGN AT OR NR MDT CONVECTIVE WX ECHO (VIP 2) AS THE ACFT WAS CLIMBING THRU 17,300' IN FRZG CONDS. AT THAT TIME, THE RATE OF CLIMB WAS ABT 200'/MIN & THE GND SPD WAS 150 TO 160 KTS. AT 1032:18, A DSCNT BGN. DRG THE NEXT 2 TO 3 MIN, THE ACFT'S ALT, HDG & SPD DEVIATED. AT 1035:17, OTR PRIMARY RADAR TARGETS APPEARED, THEN RADAR CTC WAS LOST. GROSS WT OF THE ACFT WAS ESTD TO BE 4311 LBS; MAX ALLOWABLE WT WAS 4100 LBS. CG WAS ESTD TO BE 1.59 INCHES BHND THE AFT LMT. (SEE: NTSB/SIR-92/03)
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,252 hours in all; 268 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 2,027 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 662 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 15, 1991; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-BE1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIE St Petersburg FL at 2:53 pm
- Destination: BED Bedford MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from GNV, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.