- Date
- March 15, 2005, 13:33 local (20:33 UTC)
- Place
- Farmington, NM
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N435PBeech A36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20050315002989A
- Case key
- 61175
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 student pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall and loss of control. Contributing factors were wind gusts, instructor's delay in taking remedial action, and the instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.
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
The flight instructor stated that his student was performing a short-field takeoff on runway 25. He stated that once the airplane became airborne, he "noted that the pitch was a bit high." He stated that the pitch continued to increase and the airplane rolled to the right and then to the left. The instructor stated that he took control of the airplane and decreased the angle of attack and rolled the wings level. The airplane continued to descend and impacted the left side of the runway, bouncing several times, causing substantial damage. According to the METAR (aviation routine weather report) taken at 1353, the winds were reported as 220 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 17 knots.
Factual narrative
On March 15, 2005, at 1333 mountain standard time, a Beech A36, N435P, operated by Mesa Pilot Development and under the command of a commercial certificated flight instructor, sustained substantial damage when the right wing impacted the runway during takeoff at Four Corners Regional Airport (FMN), Farmington, New Mexico. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The instructional flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The flight instructor and student pilot reported no injuries. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.
According to the accident report submitted by the flight instructor, his student was performing a short-field takeoff on runway 25. The instructor stated that once the airplane became airborne, he "noted that the pitch was a bit high." He stated that the pitch continued to increase and the airplane rolled to the right and then to the left. The instructor stated that he took control of the airplane and decreased the angle of attack and rolled the wings level. The airplane continued to descend and impacted the left side of the runway, bouncing several times. The right wing tip was crushed, the ribs buckled, and the right aileron was wrinkled.
According to the FMN METAR (aviation routine weather report) taken at 1353, the weather was reported as winds 220 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 17 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N435P
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-2718
- Airframe hours
- 16,773.7
- Engine
- Continental IO-550 - B, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Mesa Pilot Development, Inc, doing business as Mesa Pilot Development, Inc.
- Registered owner
- San Juan Pilot Training Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · March 15, 2005
- Departed
- FMN · Farmington, NM
- Destination
- FMN · Farmington, NM
- Airport
- FMN · Four Corners Regional Airport, runway 25, 6,704 × 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- January 25, 2005
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,137 total · 653 in this make and model · 1,944 as pilot in command · 98 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 46 total · 46 in this make and model · 6 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 13 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KFMN, 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.
Other investigations on N435P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.