Piper PA-34-200 accident near Anahuac, Texas, November 21, 2005
On November 21, 2005 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-200, registered N15145, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anahuac, Texas (Chambers County Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's loss of directional control during the landing. A contributing factor was the flight instructor' delayed remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2005 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Anahuac, Texas · Chambers County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200 · all PA-34-200s on the register
- Registration
- N15145 · registry record · serial 34-7350026
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 10,000-hour flight instructor and a commercial pilot receiving multi-engine instruction were conducting local multi-engine training. After the upper airwork portion of the flight was completed, the flight proceeded to a nearby airport to practice single-engine approaches and landings. Following the student's demonstration of an engine shutdown and restart procedure, the flight instructor asked the student to leave one engine at idle power for a simulated single-engine landing. During the first approach and landing, the flight instructor stated the student appeared to be on a stable approach to land on Runway 30 (a 3,005-feet long by 60-feet wide asphalt runway): however, when the airplane crossed the landing threshold, while at approximately 50-feet above the ground, the student pitched the airplane up and yawed the airplane approximately 45-degrees to the right. The instructor flight instructor stated that he took control of the airplane and pushed the nose of the aircraft down as he applied right rudder. Despite his effort, the airplane impacted the runway hard. The left main landing gear collapsed causing the airplane to exit the left side of runway. The pilot receiving multi-engine instruction was reported to have accumulated a total of 25-hours in twin engine airplanes. The flight instructor reported that at the time of the accident, the winds at the airport were 'light and variable." Additionally, he also reported there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 6,500 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,680 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2005; 20 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-360-CIE6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming LIO-360-CIE6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T41 Laporte TX at 8:20 pm
- Destination: T00 Anahuac TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,005 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from EFD, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.