# Accident 19991002038259A: Piper PA12, Las Cruces, NM, October 2, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 2, 1999, 07:50 local time
- Place: Las Cruces, NM
- Airport: Las Cruces International Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.3098° N, 107.0594° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.3098&lon=-107.0594&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2493M, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2493M) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-12 (registry code 7101202, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA12
- Reported engine: LYC O235C
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 348 total, 348 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN00LA003](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN00LA003) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19991002038259A

## Narrative

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

(.4) ON OCTOBER 2, 1999, APPROXIMATELY 0750 MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-12, N 2493M, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY THE PILOT, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT VEERED OFF THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY WHILE LANDING AT LAS CRUCES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND HIS PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATED PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT BEING CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT EL PASO, TEXAS, APPROXIMATELY 0730. THE PILOT SAID THAT WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 26, HE NOTICED THAT ENGINE POWER REMAINED TOO HIGH EVEN THOUGH THE THROTTLE HAD BEEN RETARDED COMPLETELY. HE MADE A GO AROUND. ON THE SECOND APPROACH TO THE SAME RUNWAY, HE NOTICED ENGINE POWER WAS STILL TOO HIGH WITH THE THROTTLE CLOSED. HE INITIATED A SECOND GO AROUND AND WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS 50 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, HE SLOWLY MOVED THE MIXTURE CONTROL TOWARDS IDLE CUTOFF  "TO DECREASE POWER." THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN AT HIGH SPEED AND, ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WAS LOST WHEN HE BECAME DISTRACTED, AND THE AIRPLANE GROUND LOOPED TO THE RIGHT. THE LEFT   WING BUCKLED WHEN IT STRUCK THE RUNWAY, AND THE SIDE LOADS TORE OFF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND DAMAGED THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT LATER REPORTED THE CLAMP THAT SECURES THE THROTTLE SLEEVE TO THE THROTTLE HOUSING HAD COME LOOSE, ALLOWING THE SLEEVE (NOT THE CABLE) TO MOVE WHEN THE THROTTLE CONTROL WAS OPERATED.

## 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 DEN00LA003](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN00LA003), Oct 2, 1999: Piper PA-12 (N2493M), Las Cruces, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's inadvertent ground loop/swerve during landing. A factor was his attention being diverted by a malfunctioning throttle control.

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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