# Accident 19890814029129A: Piper STCPA23, South Lake Taho, CA, August 14, 1989

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 14, 1989, 11:12 local time
- Place: South Lake Taho, CA
- Airport: Lake Tahoe
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.8939° N, 119.9953° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at LAKE TAHOE (TVL), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.8939&lon=-119.9953&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4838P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4838P-2013-04-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-23-250 (registry code 7102308, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER STCPA23
- Reported engine: LYC O540A1D5
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 2,091 total, 680 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX89FA277](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX89FA277) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19890814029129A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

OBSERVED TO PITCH UP,STALL AND DIVE INTO LAKE. ELEVATOR PULLEY BROKE,HAD BEEN RUBBING ON HOUSING. PRIOR PITCHOVER.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX89FA277](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX89FA277), Aug 14, 1989: Piper PA-23-250 (N4838P), Lake Tahoe, CA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: DISABLEMENT OF THE STABILATOR FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS: INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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