- Date
- May 11, 1990, 15:51 local (22:51 UTC)
- Place
- El Monte, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N505GMPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900511015629A
- Case key
- 26799
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 in command to adequately configure the aircraft for the takeoff portion of a touch and go.
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 stated he was on a local familiarization flight with a swiss national friend, reported to be a certificated private pilot. He said he planned to do a touch and go landing, but neglected to reconfigure the aircraft after landing for the takeoff portion. He applied full takeoff power with full flaps down and mixtures leaned. The owner/pilot was flying the aircraft from the right front seat. The aircraft became airborne prematurely and started to roll to the right, his reaction was to retract the landing gear and retard the throttles. At about that time, the right wing struck the runway and started the crash sequence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N505GM
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-251
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jonathan D. Smalldridge
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- EMT
- Airport
- EMT · El Monte, runway 19, 3,995 × 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
- 31
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 883 total · 190 in this make and model · 810 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EMT, 296 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.