- Date
- April 20, 1993, 09:47 local (16:47 UTC)
- Place
- Yuma, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3656RPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 19, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930420013389A
- Case key
- 27970
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 directional control on landing and her failure to maintain aircraft control during the attempted go around. Factors in the accident were: 1) the pilot's low total experience, 2) the fuel imbalance between the wing fuel tanks, and 3) the mental performance overload created by the multiple runway assignment changes.
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
According to the pilot, while inbound to the airport the air traffic controllers changed her runway assignment several times and she said she was quite tense. The pilot said she was confused and landed on runway 21L instead of 26. Just after touchdown the aircraft began to veer left. The pilot said she attempted to go around; however, the aircraft rolled to the left, the left wing touched the ground and the aircraft cartwheeled over onto its back. Post crash examination of the aircraft revealed that the right fuel tank was empty and the left fuel tank was full.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3656R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-5760
- Airframe hours
- 5,960
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Janis K. Johnson-Fitzgeral
- Registered owner
- Kevin L. Wiley
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 26, 1993 · 63 hours before
- Departed
- E14 · Tucson, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- YUM · Yuma Interantional, runway 21L, 9,239 × 200 ft, concrete
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 50 total · 21 in this make and model · 8 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- YUM, 1 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 N3656R · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.