Piper PA46-500TP accident near Rock Springs, Wyoming, May 3, 2011
On May 3, 2011 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Piper PA46-500TP, registered N46ME, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Rock Springs, Wyoming (Rock Springs 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The overstress fracture of the right aileron midspan hinge bracket due to modal vibrations created by a deflated right main landing gear tire during the takeoff roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 2011 · about 11:40 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Rock Springs, Wyoming · Rock Springs · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA46-500TP · all PA46-500TPs on the register
- Registration
- N46ME · registry record · serial 4697207
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll, as the airplane approached 70 knots, it started slowly pulling to the right. The pilot immediately aborted the takeoff and stopped the airplane on the runway using brakes and reverse propeller thrust. The pilot inspected the airplane and found that the right main landing gear tire had blown, and the right aileron had buckled at the aileron midspan hinge location. There were no scuff marks or indentations to indicate that the hinge or area around the hinge had been struck by debris. The hinge was still attached to the aileron, but the attach bracket that connected the hinge to the wing had fractured. Metallurgical examination revealed that the failure of the hinge bracket was the result of overstress forces applied to the hinge. Overstress failure of only the midspan hinge is somewhat unusual when none of the other hinges were damaged, which suggests modal vibration forces concentrated at this particular hinge. It is likely that the flat tire could have induced the vibratory mode in the aileron at the midspan hinge.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › Ailerons › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the airframe structure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Not specified other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Tire casing › Failure other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,150 hours in all; 1,980 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 11,850 as pilot in command; 4,075 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 18, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 472 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 2, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 5,134 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A SER (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KRKS Rock Springs WY at 11:40 pm
- Destination: KBFI Seattle WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from KRKS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on May 10, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials Laboratory 15 - Factual Report 02-002 (4 Images) | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 1 - Top View of the Aileron | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 2 - Underside View of the Aileron | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 3 - Aileron Hinge | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 4 - Tire | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Aileron and Wing Part Diagrams | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Identification of A Previous Hinge Failure (Email) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Goodyear Tire Consultation | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N46ME on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-46 Malibu, Mirage, Matrix and M-Class 1,693 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W PT6A SER 2,218 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Southwest Wyoming Regional · nearest airport
- Boeing Fld/King County International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Wyoming 778 since 1982 · 108 in the last ten years
- Wyoming 3,236 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR11LA218.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.