Piper Aircraft Inc PA46 500TP N220JE accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico

Probable cause

The pilot’s loss of directional control during landing due to his inadequate compensation for the tailwind.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, as the airplane approached the destination airport, it began to accumulate ice; he cycled the anti-icing boots, which effectively cleared the wings. He chose to fly the approach at a higher-than-normal airspeed and with no flaps. The pilot also reported that, when he lowered the landing gear, he noted that the main landing gear, which normally extend at the same time, extended at different rates. While on final approach, a tower air traffic controller informed the pilot that the wind had shifted and that a quartering tailwind existed. The controller asked the pilot if he wanted to circle to a more favorable runway, but the pilot chose to land on the original runway instead of maneuvering at low altitude with ice on the airplane. The pilot reported that, as the airplane touched down, it felt as if it "was on glare ice" and that his efforts to control the airplane were unsuccessful. The airplane exited the right side of the runway, and both main landing gear collapsed.

During postaccident examination of the airplane, manual manipulation of the rudder revealed limited travel of both the nose landing gear steering system and the rudder. Given that the pilot did not report any difficulties with the airplane's ground handling during the taxi and takeoff at the departure airport, it is likely that the limited travel was due to fuselage damage near the control cable routing that was incurred during the accident.

The pilot reported that the runway was "dry" and "ice covered." The airport manager reported that the runway might have had some patches of ice but that it was not ice covered. Further, weather information indicated that only 0.01 inch of precipitation had occurred at the airport in the preceding 7 days; therefore, it is unlikely that the runway was covered with ice at the time of the landing. The pilot likely lost directional control during landing due to his inadequate compensation for the quartering tailwind.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14LA080 for the full record.