- Date
- August 14, 1989, 11:12 local (18:12 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Tahoe, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4838PPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890814029129A
- Case key
- 26240
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
Disablement of the stabilator flight control system. A contributing factor was: inadequate maintenance.
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
Approaching the arpt, the plt received ldg instructions. Seconds later, his transmissions were abruptly terminated. Witnesses observed the acft abruptly nose over & descend into water at a high rate of speed. It fragmented upon impact & immediately sank. The acft had recently undergone maintenance involving the removal & installation of its wings, & installation of an autopilot & electric trim. Following this work, the acft was flight tested. During the test, the plt experienced a loss of control & the acft pitched down in a manner similar to that described by witnesses to the accident. Exam of the upper stabilator pulley assembly revealed that its respective control cable had been working against the side of the pulley. The pulley was fractured, & the cable had become wedged in the pulley, which (in turn) had become wedged against the side of its support bracket. This action restricted stabilator movement.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4838P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-408
- Airframe hours
- 2,554
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1D5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John W. Buchanan, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 2, 1989 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- S21 · Sunriver, OR
- Destination
- TVL · Lake Tahoe, CA
- Airport
- TVL · Lake Tahoe
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
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,091 total · 680 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TVL, 21 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.