Piper PA-34-200T N3070M
24 January 1989 · Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 24 January 1989 at about 00:05 local time, a Piper PA-34-200T registered N3070M was involved in an accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 00:05
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States
- Nearest airport
- Las Cruces Intl (LRU)
- Coordinates
- 32.2191, -106.9895
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Registration
- N3070M
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- El Paso → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN89LA068
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
THE LOSS OF RIGHT ENGINE POWER FOR UNDETERMINED REASON(S), AND THE FAILURE OF THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT TO FEATHER THE RIGHT ENGINE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF THE LEFT MAIN GEAR LOCKING MECHANISM TO ENGAGE AND THE UNPREPARED (ROUGH/UNEVEN) TERRAIN.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE INSTRUCTOR PLT (CFI) HAD SIMULATED A LOSS OF PWR IN THE RGT ENG & THE STUDENT WAS MAKING AN APCH. THE CFI THEN PULLED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER (CB) FOR THE NORMAL GEAR EXTENTION SYS. THE STUDENT TRIED TO EXTEND THE GEAR WITH THE ALTN SYS, BUT THE LEFT GEAR DID NOT LOCK DOWN. THE CFI PUT THE CB BACK IN & RECYCLED THE GEAR, BUT THE LEFT GEAR STILL DID NOT SHOW DOWN & LOCKED. THE CFI THEN ORDERED A GO-AROUND. THE GO-AROUND WAS INITIATED AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL. WHEN THE THROTTLES WERE ADVANCED, THE CFI NOTED A LACK OF PWR IN THE RGT ENG & TOOK CONTROL OF THE ACFT. HE TRIED TO RESTORE FULL PWR TO THE RGT ENG, WHICH HE PERCEIVED WAS PRODUCING SOME PWR. THE PROP WASN'T FEATHERED. IN THAT CONFIGURATION, THE ACFT MAINTAINED LEVEL FLT, BUT WOULD NOT CLIMB. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT BEGAN TO DESCEND & THE CFI MADE A FORCED LANDING ON ROUGH DESERT TERRAIN. NO REASON FOR THE RPRTD LOSS OF ENG POWER WAS FOUND DRG A SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-34 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Apr 1989 | Piper PA-34-220T | Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 1989 | Piper PA-34-200T | Miami, Florida, United States | Gulf Flight Center | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 1989 | Piper PA-34-220T | Naples, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 1989 | Piper PA-34-200T | West Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 1989 | Piper PA-34-200 | Sarasota, Florida, United States | Hietfield, Richard V. | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 1989 | Piper PA-34-200T | Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States | North American INS of Aviation | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jan 1989 | Beechcraft 19 | Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jan 1989 | Bumgartner/Hirt STEEN SKYBOLT | Quemado, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jan 1989 | Cessna 140 | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Feb 1989 | Piper PA-46-310P | Angel Fire, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Apr 1989 | Cessna 182P | Los Lunas, New Mexico, United States | Henry E. Bielinski | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 May 1989 | Bellanca 7ECA | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Rainbow Aero Inc. | No injuries | - |