N9099Z finally enters the ZK register as ZK-MLB

 The Piper PA-46-310P Malibu N9099Z c/n 46-08007 arrived in Rangiora in about July of 2007 and for almost twenty years has remained on the US register and flying around New Zealand - apart from a period of time parked up due to "technical difficulties".

My first decent photograph of it is above - taken at Rangiora on 04-11-2007.

And on 28-12-2009 it was parked out in the elements.

Noted on the move at Nelson on 13-02-2015.

The only obvious external change in all its time here is the addition of a three bladed propeller as seen here at Nelson, thanks to Bill Mannix, on 21-07-2024.

I heard a rumour earlier this month that it was soon to join the New Zealand civil aircraft register.And behold. 

Above.  Bill Mannix snapped this shot of it marked up as ZK-MLB at Nelson on 21-07-2026 outside the RepairCraft facility.

Below. Also captured the same day at Nelson.

More technical difficulties have delayed its official listing on the NZ Civil Aircraft Register until the  19-08-2026 for Mark Carnegie of Karamea.

This was a 1986 production from Piper which gained its Airworthiness certificate as N9099Z on 26-08-1986 and went to Kansas City Aviation Center Inc at Olathe, Kansas until on sold to Riteway Oil and Gas co Inc of Fairmont, Nebraska in January 1987. By August 1995 it was with Hangar Nine Inc of Omaha, Nebraska. on 16-12-1997 it was certified to Kennon Shea of Quincy, California.
It then appears to have been sold through Dan Jay Aircraft Sales Inc of Chico, California to Six Six Hotel Corporation of Bangor, Pennsylvania in 2007 (about the time it came to NZ) and then on 23-11-2009 it was certified to Throwaway LLC of Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania.

In NZ it was operated by Ian Andrews, initially out of Rangiora and then from Nelson.