- Date
- March 21, 1991, 14:35 local (20:35 UTC)
- Place
- Burlington, IA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N26009Piper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910321006739A
- Case key
- 15028
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
Delayed initiation of remedial action by the flight instructor. Factors related to the accident are gusty crosswinds, inadequate compensation for wind conditions and not maintaining airspeed by the student pilot, and complacency by the instructor.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Dual student pilot was attempting to land with crosswind 40 degrees to the right of runway heading, and wind of 15 gusting to 25 knots reported by the flight instructor. At approximately 15 feet AGL a gust was encountered which resulted in loss of 15 knots airspeed, and aircraft began to drift to the left and develop sink rate. Flight instructor took control and initiated go-around but aircraft struck VASI lights and made hard landing to the left of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N26009
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-81A0098
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-LCZ, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Remmers Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Airport
- BRL · Burlington Muni, runway 18, 5,491 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 1,544 total · 65 in this make and model · 1,302 as pilot in command · 140 in the last 90 days · 48 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BRL, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.