- Date
- May 1, 2018, 21:48 local (May 2, 2018, 02:48 UTC)
- Place
- Pine Spring, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9494JPiper PA28
- Defining event
- Enroute: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report November 5, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 97480
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 adequate altitude while flying over mountainous terrain in turbulent wind conditions at night, which resulted in a tree strike.
Findings · 6
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, while en route in mountainous terrain at night at 6,500 ft, he encountered turbulence and downdrafts, during which time, he "felt a couple of impacts on the left side." He continued to the destination airport, where he noticed the ELT was transmitting over the radio. During the landing, the left main landing gear collapsed. The pilot reported that he initially thought the airplane had struck a bird, but postaccident examination revealed that the left wing had impacted a tree. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, while en route in mountainous terrain at night at 6,500 ft, he encountered turbulence and downdrafts and "felt a couple of impacts on the left side". He continued to the destination airport, where he noticed the ELT was transmitting over the radio. During the landing, the left main landing gear collapsed. The pilot reported that he initially thought the airplane had struck a bird, but postaccident examination revealed that the left wing had impacted a tree. The elevation of the accident latitude and longitude, provided by the pilot, was about 5,000 ft. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9494J
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (180)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-3613
- Built
- 1966
- Airframe hours
- 3,200
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2018
- Departed
- 27R · Eldorado, TX
- Destination
- ELP · El Paso, TX
- Equipment
- None
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
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 8, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,600 total · 3,400 in this make and model · 3,550 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- KGDP, 5 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 26, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.8 MB in all.
Other investigations on N9494J · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.