- Date
- October 8, 1989, 16:10 local (21:10 UTC)
- Place
- Amarillo, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8727DPiper PA-22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891008039489A
- Case key
- 23061
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 aircraft control by the pilot.
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
After departure the aircraft started a left turn which the pilot attempted to correct by applying right aileron and rudder inputs. The pilot maneuvered the aircraft to return to the airstrip for a precautionary landing. During the maneuver, the pilot did not maintain aircraft control and stalled, resulting in a collision with the terrain. The pilot did not use a check list before take off and failed to see that the stabilizer was set to the full nose down position. The pilot skidded the aircraft and depleted the airspeed to avoid a crane boom and power lines resulting in a loss of aircraft control.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8727D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-5908
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John R. Wellborn
- Registered owner
- John R Wellborn
- Departed
- NONE
- Airport
- NONE, runway 26, 2,500 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 64
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 565 in this make and model · 8 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.