Piper PA-39 accident near Andrews, Texas, September 30, 1994
On September 30, 1994 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-39, registered N8901Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Andrews, Texas (Andrews County airport). It was a business 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO INITIATE A GO-AROUND AFTER ENCOUNTERING A TAILWIND. A FACTOR WAS THE TAILWIND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1994 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Andrews, Texas · Andrews County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-39 · all PA-39s on the register
- Registration
- N8901Y · no longer on the register · serial 39-56
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT UPON DEPARTING DEXTER, THE ACCOMPANYING AIRPLANE CONTACTED ROSWELL FSS FOR DESTINATION NOTAMS, AND WAS ADVISED THAT THE ONLY NOTAM WAS THAT RWY 12 WAS DISPLACED BY 1,500 FT. UPON ARRIVAL, THE PILOT CONTACTED UNICOM AND WAS ADVISED THAT RUNWAYS 2-20 AND 15-33 WERE CLOSED. HE ELECTED TO LAND ON RWY 30, AND CALCULATED AN AVAILABLE LENGTH OF 2,171 FT. ON SHORT FINAL, GROUNDSPEED INCREASED DUE TO A WIND SHIFT TO A QUARTERING TAILWIND. AFTER LANDING LONG, THE PILOT REALIZED THAT THE RUNWAY WAS SHORTER THAN REPORTED. HE WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE AIRPLANE BEFORE ENTERING THE SECTION OF RUNWAY CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION. THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR SEPARATED WHEN THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE EDGE OF A 4-IN DEEP CUT. SAN ANGELO FSS REPORTED THE FOLLOWING NOTAMS WERE ON FILE FOR THE AIRPORT: 2-20 CLOSED, 15-33 CLOSED, SE 1811 FEET 12-30 CLOSED. THE NOTAMS CONCERNING 2-20 AND 15-33 WERE PUBLISHED ON 9/28/94. THE AIRPORT MANAGER REPORTED THE FOLLOWING RUNWAY STATUS: 2-20 CLOSED, 15-33 CLOSED, SE 1811 FEET 12-30 OPEN.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 380 hours in all; 180 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 268 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Dexter NM at 9:00 pm
- Destination: E11 TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,671 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW94LA320.