- Date
- August 14, 1989, 13:07 local (20:07 UTC)
- Place
- Fresno, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2469FPiper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890814029149A
- Case key
- 26479
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 airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the runway.
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 Piper PA-38 was practicing for a forced landing during the takeoff phase of flight. He said he closed the throttle as the aircraft climbed about 75 feet above the runway. The airspeed was low at the time and he lowered the aircraft's nose to increase airspeed. He said that the aircraft was too close to the ground and it crashed on the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2469F
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3879A0465
- Engine
- Lycoming PA-38-112, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Golden Eagle Enterprises, Inc., doing business as Mazzie Flying Service
- Departed
- FCH
- Airport
- FCH · Fresno-Chandler Downtown, runway 30L, 3,202 × 75 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
- 23
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 180 total · 110 as pilot in command · 76 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- FAT, 5 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.