- Date
- May 23, 1989, 20:23 local (May 24, 1989, 03:23 UTC)
- Place
- Phoenix, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N39520Piper PA-32RT-300T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report August 2, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890523012649A
- Case key
- 26401
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 failure of the pilot to maintain adequate clearance behind the B-737 which resulted in the inadvertent encounter with wake turbulence.
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 airplane was on a night flight and was making a VFR approach and landing. The pilot had been informed that he was following a B737. On the base leg, the B737 was turning off the runway and the pilot was warned of possible wake turbulence and was cleared to land. As the airplane was over the threshold, the pilot felt a little turbulence and increased his airspeed. The airplane rolled almost 360 degrees. The pilot was able to get the airplane upright before impact. The pilot had a visual sighting on the B737 throughout all of the approach and attempted landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39520
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32RT-300T (PA-32RT-30)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7887099
- Airframe hours
- 2,787
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Wings Express Airline
- Registered owner
- Wings Express, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 4, 1989 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- P19 · Chandler, AZ
- Destination
- PHX
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- PHX · Sky Harbor, runway 26L, 10,300 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight engineer, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 300 in this make and model · 1,325 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Temperature
- 93 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.