- Date
- October 9, 1988, 11:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Albuquerque, NM
- Injuries
- 4 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7228PPiper PA-24-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 6, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881009047019A
- Case key
- 17565
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
Plt-rated pax told plt, coronado arpt 'in sight'. Plt was suspicious because loran indicated arpt was 3 mi away but trusted former instrument student's judgment & landed at closed alameda arpt instead of coronado arpt. Coronado UNICOM had told plt 'multiple balloons in area, favoring rwy 17.' Plt saw two balloons while on final apch. The plt said he saw a 'starburst' on the rwy but didn't realize it was an 'x' painted over the nos 17 on the rwy, indicating a closed runway, until after he flared. Plt aborted landing & attempted go-around. As acft lifted off, plt saw hot air balloon directly ahead & veered right sharply to avoid collision. Stall warning horn sounded continously as the plt tried to maintain airspeed, flew under powerlines, hit a chain link fence, & crashed into a parked truck trailer 1/4 mi from arpt. Closed arpt rwy was not properly marked as suggested by FAA advisory circular.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7228P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-2402
- Airframe hours
- 2,800
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Powell, Ralph
- Registered owner
- Goulds, Ralph J.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 25, 1988 · 100 hours before
- Departed
- 2V1 · Pagosa Springs, CO
- Destination
- 4AC · Albuquerque, NM
- Airport
- Q64 · Alameda, runway 17, 6,080 × 80 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
- 59
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,089 total · 70 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ABQ, 9 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.