Piper PA-31T N794CA
5 February 2002 · Hobbs, New Mexico, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 5 February 2002 at about 01:07 local time, a Piper PA-31T registered N794CA was involved in an accident near Hobbs, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:07
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Hobbs, New Mexico, United States
- Nearest airport
- Lea County Municipal (HOB)
- Coordinates
- 32.6875, -103.2169
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31T
- Registration
- N794CA
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Las Vegas → Hobbs
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- FTW02LA076
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain the proper glidepath during the instrument approach. Contributing factors were the dark night light conditions and the pilot's diverted attention.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
At the conclusion of a dark night IMC cross-country flight, the pilot was being vectored onto the ILS approach. After stabilizing, the approach "was normal." At decision altitude, the pilot indicated that he could see the approach lights and the runway, but was not in a position to land so he executed a missed approach. After being vectored around for another approach, he stated that he was on the localizer but was "high" on the glide slope. After giving "a little" nose down pitch, he became distracted when the auto-pilot became "accidentally disengaged." The pilot stated that he "inadvertently descended through the glide slope and impacted the ground short of the runway." He further stated that the "first indication" that he was low was when the aircraft "struck the ground." The aircraft was destroyed on impact. A facility check conducted by the FAA of the ILS found all parameters within normal specifications.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-31T accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Oct 2002 | Piper PA-31T | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Jan 2003 | Piper PA-31T | Denver, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 5 |
| 2 Jan 2004 | Piper PA-31T | Toussus Le Nobl, France | Oracam Ltd. | Fatal | 3 |
| 28 Jul 2004 | Piper PA-31T | Benalla, Australia | - | Fatal | 6 |
| 4 May 2005 | Piper PA-31T | Bismarck, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jul 1999 | Piper PA-31T | Deerfield, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 2002 | Israel 1124A | Taos, New Mexico, United States | Richmor Aviation Inc | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Aug 2002 | Schweizer SGS 1-26B | Hobbs, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 May 2002 | Piper Aerostar 602P | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jan 2002 | Cessna 177 | Farmington, New Mexico, United States | Kevin L. Phillips | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Mar 2002 | Republic P-47N-20-RE | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 2002 | Cessna 190 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |