Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee, N6711J, fatal accident occurred on January 18, 2026, near Holly Springs-Marshall County Airport (M41), Holly Springs, Mississippi

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N6711J

- History of Flight:
On January 18, 2026, at about 1700 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee, N6711J, registered to Firecrest LLC out of Holly Springs, MS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Holly Springs-Marshall County Airport (M41), Holly Springs, Mississippi. The certified flight instructor and student pilot were fatally injured.

There is no ADS-B data or flight-tracking coverage for the accident flight.

Local news reported that the aircraft impacted trees east of the airport and a post crash fire ensued.

- Pilot Information:
The CFI, aged 29, held a commercial pilot certificate, and an instrument rating. He also held a second class FAA medical.

The second occupant, aged 17, held a student pilot certificate (issued/updated 10/6/2025).

- Aircraft Information:
The accident aircraft, serial number 28-24408, was manufactured in 1968. It was fixed gear, 4-seat, single engine, low-wing, airplane. It was powered by a Lycoming O-320 engine.

- Airport Information:
M41 is a non-towered public airport located 4 miles west of Holly Springs, Mississippi. The airport field elevation was 551.3 ft. The airport features a single ashpalt runway 18/36 that is 3202 ft x 60 ft. Each runway features an RNAV (GPS) approach.

- Weather:

The nearest weather observation station, KOLV, reported the following conditions at 1650 LT: Winds from 200° at 10 knots, 10 mile visbility, no clouds under 12,000 ft (CLR), temperature 0°C, dewpoint -13°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.10 inches of mercury.

Figure: FAA Carburetor Icing probability chart.

(1) METARs:

METAR KOLV 182250Z 20010KT 10SM CLR 00/M13 A3010

METAR KOLV 182350Z 23007KT 10SM CLR M01/M13 A3012

(2) Area Forecast Discussion:

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Memphis TN
1151 AM CST Sun Jan 18 2026

...New DISCUSSION, AVIATION, FIRE WEATHER...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Issued at 1151 AM CST Sun Jan 18 2026

- Cold and dry conditions will continue through Tuesday morning.
  The coldest wind chills are expected early Monday morning,
  dropping as low as 10 to 15 degrees north of Interstate 40.

- Temperatures will moderate by Tuesday afternoon, with highs
  reaching the upper 30s to mid 40s.

- Light rain will spread into the Midsouth on Wednesday, ahead of
  cold frontal passage Wednesday night. Very light snow or sleet
  could occur over northwest Tennessee Wednesday morning, before
  changing over to light rain.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
(This afternoon through next Saturday)
Issued at 1151 AM CST Sun Jan 18 2026

Through midweek, the upper level pattern will be characterized by
a broad longwave trough over the eastern CONUS, downstream of
ridging along the west coast. During this period, gradual
deamplification will occur, resulting in zonal flow over the
lower MS River valley by Tuesday. At the surface, southerly low
level return flow and milder temperatures will arrive Tuesday
afternoon.

The pattern deamplification will result in a more favorable fetch
of midlevel southern branch moisture, ahead of a northern branch
shortwave trough. Model consensus depicts this system arriving
about six hours earlier than yesterday`s models depicted, led by
06Z ECMWF members and reflected in today`s 12Z operational GFS.
Besides an earlier onset of rain showers Wednesday, the implications
for the Midsouth include a brief chance of light snow or sleet
over northwest TN Wednesday morning. At this time, moisture
appears to be modest and confined to the midlevels. As such no
winter precipitation accumulations are expected prior to a
changeover to light rain toward midday on Wednesday.

The faster precipitation timing should result in limited mixed
precipitation chances Wednesday night, with most precip ending by
time post-frontal thermal profiles become favorable for wintry
precip.

For Friday and early Saturday, model consensus remains fairly
tight with respect to maintaining zonal flow over the Midsouth.
By day 8 (Sunday), 00Z/06Z model consensus begins to break down
with respect to southern branch energy off the west coast, and
downstream moisture across the southern plains and lower MS River
valley. The takeaway: the forecast for next weekend may be in
flux for a few days.

&&

.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1151 AM CST Sun Jan 18 2026

VFR conditions expected through the entire TAF period at all
terminals. Therefore, the TAF is primarily a wind driven forecast
as a reinforcing front traverses the region tonight. As the front
passes, westerly winds will veer northwesterly and increase in
speed through tonight. At the same time, 35 to 40 knot, westerly
wind shear is forecast at 2000 ft for MEM/MKL/TUP from 02z
through 08z. Northwesterlies and VFR will continue Monday.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 1151 AM CST Sun Jan 18 2026

Very dry polar air will prevail over the Midsouth through Monday.
Despite much colder than normal temperatures, minimum relative
humidity will range from 25 to 35 percent through the period.
Temperatures will moderate on Tuesday, but moisture return will
lag, resulting in minimum relative humidity of 20 to 25 percent
over much of the Midsouth Tuesday afternoon. Low chances of
wetting rainfall return Wednesday, followed by moderate minimum
humidity levels late in the week.

- Additional Information:
None

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