The Jetprop [because this was a converted PA-46] came into the pattern fast and flew a considerably tighter pattern than it had done on numerous previous arrivals.
His wife [also a certificated pilot] acknowledged not once, but twice, that they were cleared to land on 30L. His speed was such that it would have taken some pretty serious bank and pull to line up for 30L…but he was able to nicely line up for 30R, unfortunately, so was somebody else.
IIRC their groundspeed on entering the downwind was somewhere around 160 knots…and yeah you can slow down pretty quickly in a PA46 but still never a good idea to come blazing into a pattern like that, particularly one at at airport with lots of flight training and hence slower airplanes.
Doubt this will be relevant to the NTSB but it may for the lawsuit, the husband was flying on Basic Med, and hence is limited to under FL 180. The accident aircraft departed Coeur d’Alene and cruised to VGT in the mid-20’s, so if he was acting as PIC he was violating an FAR. However, his wife had a valid Third Class Medical and lots of time in the PA46 so perhaps she was PIC? Something more for the attorneys to quibble over.
Lastly, it is sadly ironic that the Jetprop was returning to home base after having spent Saturday at a PA-46 Safety Seminar in Coeur d’Alene. My wife and I were at the same meeting and had dinner with the accident pilots on Saturday night, seemed like a happy and energetic couple.