- Date
- January 23, 1989, 17:05 local (Jan 24, 1989, 00:05 UTC)
- Place
- Las Cruces, NM
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3070MPiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 25, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890123001129A
- Case key
- 17667
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 loss of right engine power for undetermined reason(s), and the failure of the instructor pilot to feather the right engine. Factors related to the accident were: failure of the left main gear locking mechanism to engage and the unprepared (rough/uneven) terrain.
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 instructor plt (CFI) had simulated a loss of pwr in the rgt eng & the student was making an apch. The CFI then pulled the circuit breaker (cb) for the normal gear extention sys. The student tried to extend the gear with the altn sys, but the left gear did not lock down. The CFI put the cb back in & recycled the gear, but the left gear still did not show down & locked. The CFI then ordered a go-around. The go-around was initiated at about 300 ft AGL. When the throttles were advanced, the CFI noted a lack of pwr in the rgt eng & took control of the acft. He tried to restore full pwr to the rgt eng, which he perceived was producing some pwr. The prop wasn't feathered. In that configuration, the acft maintained level flt, but would not climb. Subsequently, it began to descend & the CFI made a forced landing on rough desert terrain. No reason for the rprtd loss of eng power was found drg a subsequent investigation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3070M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7870105
- Airframe hours
- 2,516
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-E, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- N. Amer. Inst. Of Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 8, 1989 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- ELP · El Paso, TX
- Airport
- LRU · Las Cruces Intl, runway 26, 6,073 × 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
- 22
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 785 total · 46 in this make and model · 652 as pilot in command · 408 in the last 90 days · 129 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.