- Date
- May 29, 1989, 21:12 local (May 30, 1989, 02:12 UTC)
- Place
- Stratford, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3279QPiper PA-32R
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890529013159A
- Case key
- 22868
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
Improper planning/decision by the pilot, and his inadequate compensation for wind conditions, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control. The wind condition was a related factor.
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
During an approach to land, the pilot initiated a go-around after encountering a wind shift. Control of the airplane was lost during the go-around and the airplane impacted the ground in a level attitude. The pilot reported winds at the accident site were from 160 degrees gusting to 50 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3279Q
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7780302
- Airframe hours
- 1,167
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sherman Implement Co.
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 16, 1988 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- TUL · Tulsa, OK
- Airport
- Q70 · Stratford, runway 22, 3,200 × 32 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
- 60
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,256 total · 1,140 in this make and model · 21 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 50 knots, gusting 50
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DHT, 25 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.