- Date
- April 2, 1987, 08:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Uvalde, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N4450EPiper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870402008259A
- Case key
- 22238
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
On 04-02-87, a Piper PA-38-112, N5540E, owned and operated by southwest Texas junior college, impacted the terrain near Uvalde, TX. The flight was conducted for training purposes. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight instructor initiated a simulated engine failure and did not attempt recovery until reaching an altitude of approximately 150 ft AGL. Written directives call for recovery prior to reaching 200 ft AGL. The selected forced landing area was unsuitable in that it was rough terrain surrounded on two sides by transmission power lines. The flight instructor stated that the engine responded normally during the recovery attempt. However, the aircraft entered a high sink rate and recovery could not be completed prior to impacting the terrain. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The flight instructor sustained minor injuries. The student pilot was uninjured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4450E
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-78A0610
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 118 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Southwest Texas Junior College
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 4, 1987 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- UVA · Uvalde, TX
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
- 57
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 7,028 total · 450 in this make and model · 6,842 as pilot in command · 95 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 13 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Observed at
- DRJ, 72 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.