- Date
- March 13, 1988, 16:45 local (23:45 UTC)
- Place
- Ruidoso, NM
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N32982Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880313005129A
- Case key
- 17445
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 private plt and two pax attempted takeoff at or near max gwt at a density alt of 6,500 ft MSL. Full fuel had been loaded in the right tank and the plt indicated that the left tank was empty. Rwy 24 was in use with a 70 degree x-wind reported from 310 degrees at 14, gusting to 32 KTS. The twr operator said that on takeoff 'the aircraft lifted off then went nose high.' The acft went out of sight off the end of rwy. Twice, the right wing dropped toward the rwy as the nose went high. Witnesses report that the acft never climbed above 25 ft AGL. The acft struck the top wire of the arpt fence at four ft AGL prior to impact. The acft struck trees beyond the end of rwy 24 and both wings separated from the fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N32982
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 287525133
- Airframe hours
- 2,682
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Latham, Woody
- Registered owner
- William B Rich
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 22, 1988 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- SRR · Ruidoso, NM
- Destination
- T67 · Fort Worth, TX
- Airport
- SRR · Sierra Blanca Regional, runway 24, 8,100 × 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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 199 total · 77 in this make and model · 178 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 14 knots, gusting 32
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SRR, 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.