# Accident 20010320005529A: Piper PA28181, Gila Bend, AZ, March 20, 2001 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: March 20, 2001, 09:30 local time - Place: Gila Bend, AZ - Airport: Gila Bend Municipal Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Sfl Final Approach - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 32.9581° N, 112.6781° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.9581&lon=-112.6781&mi=10 - Aircraft: N4188E, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4188E-2013-07-26) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-360-A1D (registry code 41504, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-360-a1d) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181 - Reported engine: LYC O360* - People aboard: 3 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 725 total, 253 in this make and model, 118 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX01LA122](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA122) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010320005529A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON MARCH 20, 2001, AT 1000 HRS. MST, A PIPER PA-28-181, N4188E, LANDED SHORT OF RUNWAY 4 AT THE GILA BEND MUNICIPAL AIRPORT, GILA BEND, ARIZONA. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED BY SABENA AIRLINE TRAINING CENTER AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91, AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE CFI AND TWO STUDENTS WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL AREA FLIGHT. THE FLIGHT WAS ORIGINATING AT THE TIME AND WAS SCHEDULED TO TERMINATE AT THE SCOTTSDALE, AZ, AIRPORT. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO PRACTICE ENGINE OUT APPROACHES AND LANDINGS. ON SHORT FINAL, THE CFI SAW THAT THE AIRSPEED WAS TOO SLOW. THE AIRPLANE STALLED AND LANDED ABOUT 100 YARDS SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. DURING THE LANDING ROLLOUT THE STABILIZER STRUCK A TREE AND THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST IN A DITCH. (-23) SEE ATTACHED PILOT STATEMENT (.4) DURING A SIMULATED ENGINE OUT PROCEDURE THE AIRPLANE LANDED SHORT OF THE RUNWAY IN DESERT TERRAIN COLLIDING WITH BRUSH AND COMING TO REST IN A DITCH. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO CONDUCT SIMULATED ENGINE OUT LANDINGS . BOTH PILOTS ESTIMATED THE WIND AS COMING DOWN THE RUNWAY ABOUT 5-10 KNOTS. THE STUDENT HAD LANDED TWO PREVIOUS TIMES WITH NO PROBLEMS NOTED BY HIM OR THE CFI. ON THE THIRD LANDING THE CFI SIMULATED AN ENGINE OUT. WHEN THE STUDENT ENTERED ONTO THE FINAL LEG OF THE APPROACH HE NOTED THAT THE WINDS HAD INCREASED, OR WERE STRONGER THAN EXPECTED. HE INFORMED THE CFI THAT HE WAS NOT GOING TO ADD THE SECOND NOTCH OF FLAPS BECAUSE OF THE INCREASED DRAG. ON SHORT FINAL HE ESTIMATED THAT AT HIS CURRENT ALTITUDE AND AIRSPEED, WITH THE GIVEN WIND CONDITION, HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE THE LANDING. HE CALLED OUT A GO-AROUND, AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO CONTINUE THE APPROACH. THE CFI THEN ADDED THE SECOND NOTCH OF FLAPS. HE ADJUSTED HIS AIRSPEED TO COMPENSATE FOR THE INCREASED DRAG AND NOTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS RAPIDLY LOSING ALTITUDE. HE CALLED OUT FOR A GO-AROUND AND ADVANCED THE THROTTLE FULL FORWARD; HOWEVER, THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO SINK. THE CFI THOUGHT THEY HAD ENCOUNTERED A WIND SHEAR EVENT, FROM A STRAIGHT HEADWIND TO NO WIND AT ALL. ## 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 LAX01LA122](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA122), Mar 20, 2001: Piper PA-28-181 (N4188E), Gila Bend, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: Failure of the CFI to properly supervise the flight and the failure of the dual studen to maintain flying airspeed. A contributing factor was the wind shear encountered. ## Other reports on N4188E (2) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20120913026389A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120913026389A), Sep 13, 2012: Piper PA-28-181 (N4188E), Strawberry, AZ, Destroyed, 3 fatal. On September 13, 2012 aircraft N4188E, Piper PA28-181, S/N-2843212 impacted terrain under unknown circumstances approximately 15 mile northwest of payson AZ at… - [Accident 19990321002291A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990321002291A), Mar 21, 1999: Piper PA28181 (N4188E), Scottsdale, AZ, Substantial damage. (Tty) acft landed and was taxiing on twy a when it collided with N818DW, a rockwell NA-265 acft, which landed and turned onto A5, N4188E has substantial… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.