- Date
- March 15, 1992, 16:37 local (Mar 16, 1992, 00:37 UTC)
- Place
- Austin, NV
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N4075RPiper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920315009129A
- Case key
- 27581
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 loss of control due to the failure of his control wheel during an attempted go around.
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 said that on short final to the airstrip he encountered a windshear and downdraft. He added power to go around and the plastic control wheel on the left side broke into two sections at the middle. The aircraft hit the ground hard and veered off the runway. The pilot stated that after his control wheel broke, he attempted to control the aircraft by grabbing the wheel on the right side of the cockpit; however, the aircraft hit the ground and he lost directional control. The plastic control wheels in this aircraft are the subject of a reoccurring airworthiness directive (69-22-2), which requires repetitive dye penetrant inspections at each annaul inspection for cracks in the center of the wheel. The maintenance records disclosed that the control wheel was inspected in accordance with the AD at the last annual. Microscopic examination of the fracture face revealed no evidence of dye penetrant, indicating that the crack did not exist at the last inspection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4075R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-40387
- Airframe hours
- 3,983
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-P1A5C, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Galen M. Reimer
- Registered owner
- Air Born Again
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 12, 1991 · 397 hours before
- Departed
- FLX · Fallon, NV
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- NONE · Pvt Ranch Airstrip, runway 18, 5,000 × 75 ft, gravel
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 91 total · 18 in this make and model · 35 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
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 N4075R · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.