- Date
- October 12, 2003, 14:08 local (20:08 UTC)
- Place
- Las Cruces, NM
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N891GPPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Albuquerque FSDO
- FAA report
- 20031012027439A
- Case key
- 58155
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 CFI's failure to maintain aircraft control during a go-around resulting in an inadvertent stall/mush and impact with terrain. Contributing factors include the CFI's inadequate supervision, the private pilot's delayed relinquishing of control, and the inadvertent stall/mush.
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
According to the certified flight instructor (CFI), they were stopping for fuel. The private pilot, flying the airplane from the left seat, was attempting to land on runway 08. During the landing flare, a wind gust caused the airplane to drift left of the runway centerline. The private pilot corrected the left drift, pulled the throttle, and continued to land. The CFI stated that upon touchdown, the airplane "immediately veered hard to the left about a 60 degree angle." At that point the CFI added power and initiated a go-around. During the attempted go-around, the private pilot pulled the throttle a second time. The CFI said that he then "took control of the airplane and put the power back in for a go-around." He said he managed to get the airplane airborne, but was not attempting to correct for the drift because they were too "low and slow." As the airplane approached the end of the runway, the airplane began to mush and the right main landing gear struck a patch of sagebrush. The airplane struck the ground and bounced a few feet before impacting a dirt berm.
Factual narrative
On October 12, 2003, at 1408 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N891GP, owned by New Mexico Flying Eagle Inc., and operated by Arizona Aero Tech, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during a go-around at Las Cruces International Airport (LRU), Las Cruces, New Mexico. The commercial certificated flight instructor (CFI) and a private certificated pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. An instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for this positioning flight being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight from Amarillo, Texas, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, originated at 1100.
According to the CFI, they were repositioning the airplane for Arizona Aero Tech and were stopping at Las Cruces for fuel. The private pilot, flying the airplane from the left seat, was attempting to land on runway 08. During the landing flare, a wind gust caused the airplane to drift left of the runway centerline. The private pilot corrected the left drift, pulled the throttle, and continued to land.
The CFI stated that upon touchdown, the airplane "immediately veered hard to the left about a 60 degree angle." At that point the CFI added power and initiated a go-around. During the attempted go-around, the private pilot pulled the throttle a second time. The CFI said that he then "took control of the airplane and put the power back in for a go-around." He said he managed to get the airplane airborne, but was not attempting to correct for the drift because they were too "low and slow." As the airplane approached the end of the runway, the airplane began to mush and the right main landing gear struck a patch of sagebrush. The airplane struck the ground and bounced a few feet before impacting a dirt berm. The impact with the berm separated the right main landing gear and displaced the right wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N891GP
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-23847
- Airframe hours
- 2,500
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- New Mexico Flying Eagle Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 2003
- Departed
- AMA · Amarillo, TX
- Destination
- AEG · Albuquerque, NM
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LRU · Las Cruces International, runway 30, 7,494 × 100 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
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- October 3, 2003
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 485 total · 11 in this make and model · 400 as pilot in command · 122 in the last 90 days · 64 in the last 30 days · 11 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC)
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- LRU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.