- Date
- May 7, 1990, 13:17 local (20:17 UTC)
- Place
- Jean, NV
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2359LPiper PA-38-112
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900507014869A
- Case key
- 41106
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
Severe downdrafts/windshear which exceeded the airplane's performance capabilities.
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
While practicing touch-and-go landings on an instructional flight, the instructor and student encountered meteorological conditions described by the flight instructor as tremendous downdrafts. The Piper PA-38-112 crashed on crosswind leg, injuring both occupants.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2359L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-79A0731
- Airframe hours
- 3,190
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-L2C, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Desert Southwest Airlines
- Registered owner
- James C Zsorey
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 14, 1990 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- LAS · Las Vegas, NV
- Airport
- 0L7 · Jean, runway 20, 4,545 × 100 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
- 28
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,404 total · 250 in this make and model · 1,331 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 20 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAS, 21 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.