NTSB: Pilot stalled Meridian returning to airport

According to the NTSB, the pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during a bank angle of 60 to 80 degrees while trying to return to the Vero Beach Municipal Airport, Fla., after declaring an unspecified problem–resulting in a stall and an uncontrolled descent into the ground–was determined as the cause of the crash of a two-month-old Piper Meridian (N262MM) turboprop single on April 9, 2001. The pilot and passenger were killed. The pilot had brought the new turboprop back to Piper’s factory for some reportedly minor electrical work. The Meridian took on 900 pounds of fuel at Vero Beach, which the NTSB determined was uncontaminated jet-A.