Malibu runs into GRI terminal

[Garthur]

Has anyone considered the pilot maybe had a medical problem (alcohol, drugs, stroke, heart attack, etc.).

I have been to GRI maybe a hundred times. The aircraft parking is 50 yards from the crash site. Surely the pilot should of had time to do something!

 

[N801BH]

Has anyone considered the pilot maybe had a medical problem (alcohol, drugs, stroke, heart attack, etc.).

I have been to GRI maybe a hundred times. The aircraft parking is 50 yards from the crash site. Surely the pilot should of had time to do something!

I am not sure the PIC was named Shirley...

 

[kmead]

My reason for being there to look at the aircraft was for one specific reason. I did notice that The spinner and prop took a very hard hit. The top and lower fwd cowlings are broken loose and bent over slightly. The wing assy ( tip to tip, there is no separate left or right wing) will be the very expensive part of the repair. The leading edge of the left outboard wing section took to big hit. An impact out about 18 ft on the wing almost always results in a broken fwd spar attach bolt and a bent rear spar near the fuselage. The left inboard wing section separated when the fwd bolt broke from the force way out on the wing.

This is an 06 Meridian, probably worth 1 to 1.1 million$ before damage. Between the wing engine, prop and wing assy you can easily see $500,000 to 600,000 in repairs and the engine can be a real wild card. This ship could go either way (scrap or repair).

None of the PA46 aircraft have any hydraulic assist to the steering or brakes. Everything works just like a Cherokee 180, it just costs a lot more.

 

[Jay Honeck]

How is it possible to lose steering?

 

[N747JB]

How is it possible to lose steering?

Same way people lose the brakes in their cars and they miraculously repair themselves when somebody else drives it! Panic does strange things to people!
Also, you can start a PT6 in feather, so it wouldn't be moving, at least not much if he'd done it this way. Now that I'm signed off on the Conquest I'm an expert on PT6 operations!

 

[N801BH]

...Also, you can start a PT6 in feather, so it wouldn't be moving, at least not much if he'd done it this way. Now that I'm signed off on the Conquest I'm an expert on PT6 operations!

..

Hmmm. I thought all PT-6 starts were in feather?

 

[kmead]

On the Meridian there isn't a prop control to feather the prop. It comes out of feather on it's own after start. The new flight idle Ng is 65%. There is enough blade angle to pull the aircraft forward with the power lever against the stop. You can feather the prop on the Jetprop conversion. I always start the Jetprop with the prop control full forward then feather before shutting off the engine.

 

[Ted]

..

Hmmm. I thought all PT-6 starts were in feather?

The prop is in feather when you light the fire, but if you start it with the prop lever forward it will come out of feather within a few seconds of starting once the oil pressure builds up.

In the Cheyenne (and I'm guessing Conquest) you have the option of one way or the other. We always started with the props left in feather and didn't move them forward until we were ready to taxi so we had zero forward thrust. One might opt to start in fine pitch if on a gravel runway to reduce gravel ingestion. The props in feather will blow more gravel around, so goes the theory.

From Kevin's statement, sounds like someone may have started his Meridian, it went to fine pitch and went forward, and the guy paniced and didn't think to use reverse thrust.