- Date
- August 13, 1989, 13:52 local (20:52 UTC)
- Place
- Benson, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2471DPiper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890813028839A
- Case key
- 26477
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 airspeed during an emergency descent and to properly flare the aircraft during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's anxiousness in over-reacting to a situation and prematurely entering a power-off forced landing.
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 pilot of the accident aircraft reported smelling and seeing smoke in the cockpit area, coming from under the passenger side dashboard. The smoke lasted for about 20 seconds. The pilot decided to turn off the throttle, mixture, and fuel and execute a forced landing. He also reported hearing the stall warning indicator 2-3 times during his emergency descent. The aircraft landed hard on a dirt road. The operator indicated that there was no mechanical malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2471D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-79A0326
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-12C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Jerry W. Wood
- Departed
- TUS · Tucson, AZ
- Destination
- LRU · Los Cruces, NM
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 21
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 55 total · 30 in this make and model · 18 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 70 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 102 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Observed at
- TUS, 33 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.
Other investigations on N2471D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.