- Date
- May 19, 2023, 16:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- DeKalb, IL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N442TMPiper PA32RT
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Greater Chicago FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230519007089A
- Case key
- 192212
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during a go-around in gusting winds. Contributing was the presence of windshear.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that the pilot was receiving landing training in his airplane. As the airplane touched down on the runway, a gust of wind caused it to balloon. The flight instructor ordered the pilot to go around, and the airplane accelerated to 85 kts in a slight climb. About 25 feet above the ground the airplane abruptly and rapidly pitched over to about 20° nose low. The flight instructor immediately came on the control yoke and pulled but received no response to his pull. The airplane impacted the runway about 10o nose low and slid off the left side into the grass where it came to a stop. The pilot, flight instructor, and a passenger egressed the airplane without incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings. The flight instructor reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident the airplane was landing on runway 27 with wind 290o at 14 kts gusting to 19 kts. The pilot reported that the nose dropped dramatically and that neither he nor the flight instructor had time to react with additional back pressure on the control yoke. The pilot said during the pitch over that his hands never left the control yoke. The flight instructor further reported that light clear air turbulence was present at the time and “windshear caused our demise.”
Aircraft
- Registration
- N442TM
- Reported as
- Piper PA32RT (300T)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7887225
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 3,180.48
- Engine
- Lycoming Engines TIO-540-S1AD, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Rice Heritage Equipment, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 2, 2023
- Airport
- DKB · De Kalb Taylor Muni, runway 27, 4,201 × 75 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 76
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- May 22, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 24,250 total · 30 in this make and model · 16,755 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- March 1, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 231 total · 1 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 16 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- KDKB
- METAR
- KDKB 192135Z AUTO 29016G20KT 10SM CLR 19/09 A3001 RMK AO2 T01900089
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 5, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.