Investigation Continues into TBM 700 Fatal

The NTSB continues its investigation into a fatal crash April 24 that killed the pilot when his TBM 700 turboprop single hit a 38-foot telephone pole, then burst into flames a half-mile short of Runway 18 at Mobile Downtown Airport, Ala., at 8:10 p.m. VMC prevailed at the time. According to the Mobile tower controller, the pilot (who was the sole person on board) reported that he had a “runaway engine” and said he was shutting down the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-64. The aircraft, N705QD, belonged to a fleet of TBM 700s operated by Quest Diagnostics of Reading, Pa., primarily for transporting medical test samples. The company also operates a corporate King Air 300 and Hawker 800XP.