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| Date: | Saturday 11 January 2020 |
| Time: | 17:20 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-46-350P M350 |
| Owner/operator: | Mission Flight Charter Services LLC |
| Registration: | N350XL |
| MSN: | 4636673 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2015 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 511 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Pipe Creek, Bandera County, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | San Antonio International Airport, TX (SAT/KSAT) |
| San Antonio International Airport, TX (SAT/KSAT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
During flight, the pilot observed a warning message on the primary flight display indicating 'AVIFAN FAIL.' As he was trouble-shooting the electrical system, smoke began to enter the cabin from the front of the cockpit. The pilot suspected an electrical fire. He disconnected the autopilot, lowered the landing gear, and turned off the battery master switch. After he declared a 'Mayday,' the pilot searched for the nearest airport, which was about 13-miles from his position. Smoke was still coming into the cabin, and the pilot's "eyes were burning." The pilot decided that he had to land the airplane without delay because of the potential fire. He decided to land the airplane in what appeared to be a flat field directly ahead.
As the airplane approached the landing point, the pilot extended the first notch of flaps, the airplane crossed over a fence, and landed. The pilot immediately realized that the airplane was fast and on a collision course with another fence and trees, so he rotated the airplane and cleared the obstacles. He immediately turned the airplane to the right and landed the airplane on an adjacent roadway. Upon landing, the airplane hit a roadway signpost with the right wing and the airplane spun 90 degrees to the right, and came to rest with the nose against a roadway guardrail. The outboard section of the right wing sustained substantial damage.
Detailed examination of the airplane's electrical system revealed thermal damage and discoloration on a circuit board of one of the avionics cooling fans. The thermal damage to the fan circuit board would have likely produced smoke that would be irritating to the eyes, which was consistent with what the pilot reported. No other damage or electrical anomalies were found during the examination.
Probable Cause: The in-flight electrical fire, which resulted in smoke in the cabin and an emergency landing. Contributing to the accident was the unsuitable terrain for the emergency landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CEN20LA058
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=350XL
https://flightaware.com/photos/view/3539191-8e3582ccad3d2a212ead1a731d463e43898a0bb5/aircrafttype/PA46 (photo)
Location
Media:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Jan-2020 02:26 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 12-Jan-2020 02:32 | Captain Adam | Updated [Date] |
| 12-Jan-2020 03:20 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Phase, Source] |
| 12-Jan-2020 03:25 | Geno | Updated [Source] |
| 12-Jan-2020 04:24 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Source] |
| 12-Jan-2020 11:21 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 09-Jun-2021 08:23 | aaronwk | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 01-Jul-2022 14:47 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Nature, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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