Moments before the Feb. 13, 2022, fatal crash of a Piper Meridian just after takeoff from Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe, Kansas, the pilot of the single-engine turboprop radioed an “urgent need to return to the airport,” according to the recently published NTSB final report. The airplane stalled and crashed, killing the 51-year-old pilot and sole occupant.
Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Due to the extent of damage, the NTSB could not determine the nature of the emergency.
The 2012 PA-46-500TP had recently undergone an annual inspection, and the pilot planned to fly the airplane under Part 91 IFR back to his base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Weather was day VMC with wind from the north at 15 knots. Once airborne from Runway 36, the airplane drifted slightly right, and the pilot radioed an urgent need to return to the airport. The controller cleared the airplane to land but no further transmissions were received.
Flight path data showed the aircraft slowing before turning back, with the speed continuing to decrease. Final data recorded the airplane at a groundspeed of 45 knots. “The groundspeed would equate to 60 knots airspeed when considering the 15-kt headwind,” said the NTSB. “The stall speed chart for the airplane listed the minimum stall speed for any configuration as 64 knots.”