- Date
- October 5, 2025, 18:10 local (Oct 6, 2025, 01:10 UTC)
- Place
- Gila Bend, AZ · field off runway edge
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8678YPiper PA-30
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20251005014059A
- Case key
- 201801
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 improper throttle input and failure to maintain aircraft control during landing.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the multi-engine airplane reported that during landing just before touchdown, the pilot proceeded to advance the throttles, but he inadvertently only advanced the throttle to the right engine and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway. Subsequently, the airplane impacted numerous tall shrubs, resulting in substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that he should have undergone additional multi-engine refresher training with a flight instructor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8678Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-1822
- Built
- 1969
- Engines
- Lycoming IO-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- TUS · Tucson, AZ
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- E63 · Gila Bend Municipal Airport, runway 04, 5,200 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 6, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,162 total · 79 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 61 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.71 inHg
- Observed at
- KLUF, 39 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KLUF 060155Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 29/M03 A2971 RMK AO2 SLP051 T02871035 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 12, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.8 MB in all.
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 N8678Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.