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| Date: | Friday 12 February 2010 |
| Time: | 13:55 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-31T Cheyenne II |
| Owner/operator: | Mayes Aviation LLC |
| Registration: | N250TT |
| MSN: | 31T-7820050 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 9048 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W PT6A-28 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Forest City Municipal Airport (FXY/KFXY), Forest City, IA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Saint Louis-Spirit of St. Louis Airport, MO (SUS/KSUS) |
| Forest City Municipal Airport, IA (FXY/KFXY) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On February 12, 2010, at 1355 Central Standard Time, a Piper PA-31T (Cheyenne II) turboprop airplane, N250TT, impacted terrain while on final approach to runway 33 at the Forest City Municipal Airport (FXY), Forest City, Iowa. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Mayes Aviation, LLC, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, while on an instrument flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the business flight, which departed the Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS), St. Louis, Missouri, at 1223.
A witness reported that the multi-engine turboprop airplane was on final approach to land when it suddenly veered to the left and entered a rapid descent. The witness stated that he heard the "whine of the engines" before the airplane impacted terrain about 1/2 mile south of the runway threshold. In the days preceding the accident flight, the airplane had been at a maintenance facility to resolve a vibration in the rudder system while the autopilot system was engaged. There were no anomalies reported with the autopilot system during a test flight completed immediately before the accident flight. However, anomalies with the rate gyro were noted by a mechanic who recommended replacing it, but the pilot departed on the accident flight without the recommended repair having been completed.
Further, examination of the autopilot annunciator panel indicated that the autopilot was likely not engaged at the time of impact, likely because the airplane was on a short final approach for landing. Accordingly, any existing autopilot faults would not have affected the flight as the autopilot system was likely not in use. There were no failures identified with the primary flight controls, engines, or propellers that would have prevented the pilot from maintaining control of the airplane manually. Toxicological testing revealed the presence of Zolpidem in the pilot's blood (Zolpidem, the trade name for Ambien, is used for short-term treatment of insomnia); however, the reported levels would likely not have resulted in any impairment.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during final approach.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=75359
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Feb-2010 17:24 | RobertMB | Added |
| 12-Feb-2012 20:53 | Geno | Updated [Time, Operator, Phase, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 07-Aug-2017 13:29 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source, ] |
| 17-Sep-2017 21:59 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 17-Sep-2017 22:00 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 26-Nov-2017 15:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 24-Feb-2020 21:18 | Captain Adam | Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Source, Photo, ] |
| 06-Jul-2025 07:31 | Captain Adam | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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