- Date
- November 27, 1989, 12:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Cresson, TX
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N289RLPiper PA-23-160
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891127047819A
- Case key
- 23082
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 failure of the student pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane and the cfi's inability to regain control. Contributing to the accident was the lack of brakes on the cfi's side of the airplane.
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 airplane was being used for multiengine instruction. The instructor said they were making a touch and go landing. He said the landing was normal and the student cleaned up the airplane. The student applied full power for takeoff and the airplane yawed left. The student overcorrected and the airplane yawed extremely to the right. The instructor took control of the airplane and attempted to get directional control but said the rudder was not effective enough. There were no brakes on the right side of the airplane. The instructor said he had reduced the power to idle. The airplane left the right side of the runway, struck trees and a fence and fence post, and came to a stop approximately 300 yards off the side of the runway, in a shallow depression. Later the passenger in the rear seat did state the instructor had reached for the throttles but only closed the right engine throttle, and the left engine ceased operation after impact with a fence post. No pre-impact problems could be found with the airplane or powerplants.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N289RL
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-1548
- Airframe hours
- 3,279
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Bourland Field Inc.
- Registered owner
- Bourland Field, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 25, 1989 · 5 hours before
- Airport
- 50F · Bourland Field, runway 35, 4,150 × 60 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
- 32
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,626 total · 250 in this make and model · 1,550 as pilot in command · 379 in the last 90 days · 109 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N289RL · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.