Piper PA46 N4387S
17 April 1990 · Paso Robles, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 17 April 1990 at about 18:45 local time, a Piper PA46 registered N4387S, operated by Piper Aircraft Corp., was involved in an accident near Paso Robles, California, 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 18:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Paso Robles, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Paso Robles Muni (PRB)
- Coordinates
- 35.6090, -120.7590
- Aircraft
- Piper PA46
- Registration
- N4387S
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Piper Aircraft Corp.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Santa Maria → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90LA150
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
INADEQUATE ALTITUDE FOR PROPER LANDING GEAR EXTENSION; NOT ENSURING THE LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED; COMPLACENCY OF THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
ACCORDING TO STATEMENTS FROM ALL THREE INDIVIDUALS ON BOARD, UPON ARRIVING IN THE VICINITY OF PASO ROBLES AIRPORT AT ABOUT 5,800 FEET ABOVE THE AIRPORT, THE INSTRUCTOR SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE TO SIMULATE AN ENGINE FAILURE. THE PILOT BEING TRAINED WAS INSTRUCTED TO GLIDE THE AIRCRAFT TO A SAFE LANDING AT THE AIRPORT. DURING THE SIMULATED EMERGENCY DESCENT, THE PILOT BEING TRAINED ASKED SEVERAL TIMES IF THE GEAR SHOULD NOT BE EXTENDED UNTIL THE TURN FROM BASE TO FINAL WAS BEING MADE. THE WITNESSES ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT FURTHER STATED THAT ON SHORT FINAL, AT A VERY LOW ALTITUDE, THE GEAR WAS LOWERED USING THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURE. THE LEFT MAIN GEAR DID NOT FULLY EXTEND AND LOCK INTO POSITION PRIOR TO THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHING DOWN ON THE RUNWAY. ON TOUCHDOWN, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED, CAUSING THE LEFT WING TO COLLIDE WITH THE RUNWAY.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA46 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Sep 1991 | Piper PA46-350P | Dayton, Ohio, United States | Arthur F. Lindquist | No injuries | - |
| 25 Feb 1991 | Piper PA46-310P | Los Angeles, California, United States | Malibu Air | No injuries | - |
| 27 Dec 1991 | Piper PA46-310P | Carson City, Nevada, United States | Ferdon, Arnold G. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Nov 1987 | Piper PA46 | Guaymas, Mexico | Georgi, Marcel | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2001 | Piper PA46-500TP | Rockwall, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 2003 | Piper PA46-500TP | Daytona Beach, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Oct 1990 | Piper PA-28-140 | Agua Dulce, California, United States | R.i. Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |