Piper PA-34-200 N4463T

Summary

On 4 June 2007 at about 17:22 local time, a Piper PA-34-200 registered N4463T was involved in an accident near Upland, California, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 June 2007 at 17:22

Classification

Accident

Location

Upland, California, United States

Nearest airport

Cable (CCB)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-34-200

Registration

N4463T

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Van Nuys → Upland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX07LA186

1 person was seriously injured.

Failure of the pilot under instruction to maintain the minimum single engine control airspeed (air) and directional control while turning to final approach. Also causal was the flight instructor's inadequate supervision and delayed remedial actions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) was providing multiengine instruction to the pilot. They were in the traffic pattern, approximately 800 feet above ground level (agl), after completing several touch-and-go landings. The CFI stated that his regular method for setting up practice engine-out landings for a student was to close the mixture, allow the student to go through the process of controlling the airplane, and simulating the procedures to feather the inoperative engine's propeller. The instructor would then return the mixture to full rich, and verify engine operation. This would occur on downwind, and then the landing would be completed with the simulated inoperative engine at idle. On downwind, the instructor closed the mixture on the left engine. During this maneuver, the pilot turned the airplane left from base to final and the airspeed decreased. The airplane rolled sharply to the left and lost altitude. The instructor reduced both throttles and regained control of the airplane just as it collided with the roof of one house, bounced across another roof, and came to rest on top of a third house. The Federal Aviation Administration recommends that in-flight simulated engine failures at altitudes below 3,000 feet agl be introduced only by reduction of the throttle. Post-crash inspection of the engine and airframe found no anomalies that would have prevented normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.