- Date
- July 21, 1999, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Alvaredo, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5230WPiper PA-28-160
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990721042899A
- Case key
- 46927
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 student pilot's failure to maintain a proper glidepath during his short-field approach.
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 student was undergoing an evaluation, by an FAA designated examiner, for his private pilot certificate. The student stated that while demonstrating a short-field landing, he allowed the aircraft to get 'too shallow.' He added that he 'applied power to correct altitude and thought [he] had it under control, so [he] took power out, and [the] aircraft fell short.' After landing the airplane collided with a fence.
Factual narrative
On July 21, 1999, at 1100 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28-160 single-engine airplane, N5230W, was substantially damaged when it struck a fence while landing at the Luscombe Acres Airport near Alvaredo, Texas. The student pilot and an FAA designated examiner were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 evaluation flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The local flight departed from Luscombe Acres Airport approximately 1040.
The student was taking his check ride to obtain his private pilot certificate. The student was attempting to perform a short-field landing. During the approach, the aircraft impacted a fence and fence posts. According to a written statement provided to the FAA, the pilot stated that he allowed the aircraft to get "too shallow." He further stated that he "applied power to correct altitude and thought [he] had it under control, so [he] took power out, and [the] aircraft fell short."
According to the FAA inspector, who examined the airplane, damage included a 2-inch wide by 12-inch long gash in the right wing, a punctured left fuel tank, and dents in the horizontal stabilizer and flaps.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5230W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-268
- Airframe hours
- 2,415
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-62B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ronald W. Connolly
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- 6XS2
- Airport
- 6XS2 · Luscombe Acres, runway 20, 2,200 × 100 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
- 66
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 57 total · 57 in this make and model · 33 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 6 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FTW, 30 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.