- Date
- August 20, 1989, 13:26 local (20:26 UTC)
- Place
- Long Beach, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2344NPiper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890820030449A
- Case key
- 26482
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 inadequate airspeed during takeoff which led to an inadvertent stall. A factor was the excessive weight in the aircraft.
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 and passenger began taking off from rwy 25L which was 150 feet wide by 5420 feet Long. The aircraft was observed to initially climb out with a steep nose high pitch attitude and at a slow airspeed. When the aircraft reached an altitude of between 100 and 200 feet AGL, its right wing and nose suddenly lowered, and the aircraft descended until colliding with the runway. The pilot's recent flight experience could not be determined. At the time of the crash, the aircraft's maximum certificated gross weight was exceeded by about 83 pounds.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2344N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-79A0796
- Airframe hours
- 2,029
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2A, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Aztec Air Inc.
- Registered owner
- Mary Lou & Waldron Goss
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 26, 1989 · 74 hours before
- Departed
- LGB · Long Beach, CA
- Airport
- LGB · Long Beach, runway 25L, 5,420 × 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
- 67
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 850 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LGB
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.