- Date
- May 1, 1989, 13:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gerlach, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4439EPiper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 22, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890501010629A
- Case key
- 41003
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
A delay by the pilot in aborting the landing and his failure to assure sufficient airspeed for the go-around (aborted landing). A factor related to the accident was: the unsuitable landing area that was selected by the pilot.
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 instructor plt (CFI) elected to demonstrate a soft field landing at an unimproved ranch strip. As he was about to land, he saw mounds of soft dirt on the strip & increased power to 'carry the glide beyond them.' Subsequently, he realized there was insufficient rwy remaining to complete the landing, so he initiated a go-around. He applied full power & raised the acft's nose to clear a fence, but the acft lost flying speed & settled into a field beyond the landing area. The landing gear then hit an irrigation pipe & was damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4439E
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 78A0604
- Airframe hours
- 2,008
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Eugene E. Thebus
- Registered owner
- Eugene E. Phebus
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 27, 1989 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- 45D · Reno, NV
- Destination
- RNO
- Airport
- Spoo Ranch Strip, runway 18, 2,500 × 150 ft, dirt
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
- 34
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 831 total · 22 in this make and model · 691 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.