- Date
- September 21, 1991, 04:00 local (10:00 UTC)
- Place
- Van Horn, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N5330WPiper PA-28-150
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910921042209A
- Case key
- 23401
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 pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane. A factor was the pilot's lack of total experience.
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 a flight in a stolen airplane the student pilot lost control and collided with the terrain. No record could be found that indicated the student pilot had ever flown with a certified flight instructor; however, he had been observed carrying passengers on recent flights (estimated 4).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5330W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-387
- Airframe hours
- 764
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- W. D. Smith
- Registered owner
- W. D. Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 18, 1991
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
- 30
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 15 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 54 °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.