- Date
- August 7, 1990, 21:00 local (Aug 8, 1990, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Denton, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N15515Piper PA-34-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900807031559A
- Case key
- 23166
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 instructor pilot's failure to take control of the aircraft in a timely manner, resulting in loss of control. A factor was the instructor's failure to assume control of the throttles, and aircraft engine out capability exceeded.
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 pilot was supervising the student pilot in the conduct of a single-engine approach and landing. The night approach was continued to a short final. The instructor assumed control of the airplane, due to over-controlling on the part of the student pilot. He initiated a go-around, requesting that the student pilot advance the throttles. He did not verify that the throttles had been advanced. Control of the airplane was lost, when VMC was not maintained.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15515
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7350071
- Airframe hours
- 4,494
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-LE16, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Paul M. Atkinson
- Registered owner
- Patco Construction Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 3, 1990 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- H2Q · Mesquite, TX
- Airport
- DTO · Denton Municipal, runway 35, 5,000 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 24
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,411 total · 23 in this make and model · 1,287 as pilot in command · 166 in the last 90 days · 62 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 30° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °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.