- Date
- October 1, 1989, 02:03 local (09:03 UTC)
- Place
- Las Vegas, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3782TPiper PA-28R-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891001037299A
- Case key
- 41135
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 misjudged his altitude and distance to the runway, while on final approach, and failed to attain the proper touchdown point or flare the aircraft during the landing. Darkness was a related factor.
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
During a landing at night, the airplane touched down 28 ft short of the runway, the landing gear collapsed & the plane slid onto the runway. Propeller strikes were found in the area of where the gear collapse. The airplane was abandoned & the pilot was not located. The owner reported the airplane had been stolen.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3782T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-30095
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B1E, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Bates, Donald E
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Destination
- VGT
- Airport
- VGT · North Las Vegas, runway 25, 5,005 × 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
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 60° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- LAS, 8 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 N3782T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.