Piper PA 46-350P N987PS

Summary

On 2 October 2022 at about 22:00 local time, a Piper PA 46-350P registered N987PS was involved in an accident near Clovis, New Mexico, United States. 2 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.

Date

2 October 2022 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Clovis, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Clovis Rgnl (CVN)

Coordinates

34.4266, -103.0776

Aircraft

Piper PA 46-350P

Registration

N987PS

Category

Airplane

Year built

1999

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tucson → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23LA002

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to follow the go-around procedures by prematurely retracting the flaps and not establishing a proper go-around climb speed after attempting to land with a quartering tailwind, resulting in the airplane’s inability to climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

As the pilot approached the destination airport, the wind was reported as light and variable. He stated that as he flew the visual approach to runway 4 and prepared to land, he encountered a major gust of wind and elected to perform a go-around. The pilot reported that he applied full engine power, retracted the landing gear and flaps, and initiated a climb when the “stall shaker started shaking”. The pilot lowered the nose to prevent the airplane from stalling and initiated a gear-up landing to an open field adjacent to the runway. The pilot reported encountering a gust of wind; however, the wind reported at the airport 4 minutes before the accident was from 180 ° at 11 knots. The wind reported about an hour after the accident was from 160° at 10 knots. Neither weather report indicated wind gusts or significant changes in wind direction. The calculated crosswind component at the time of the accident was about 7 knots, with a tailwind of about 8 knots. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Given the pilot’s description of the go-around and the absence of a mechanical failure or malfunction, he likely retracted the flaps before establishing the required climb airspeed and positive rate of climb. The quartering tailwind would have contributed to the loss of expected airplane performance, resulting in an incipient stall and the subsequent gear-up landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.