Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Morenci, Arizona, December 3, 2003
On December 3, 2003 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N1451T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Morenci, Arizona (Double O Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's excessive landing flare, which resulted in an improper touchdown and hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 2003 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Morenci, Arizona · Double O Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N1451T · no longer on the register · serial 28R-723593
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The single engine airplane landed hard on the dirt airstrip during the pilot's short-field landing attempt. An inspection of the airplane revealed that the aft bulkhead, in front of the tail cone, had a dent with an approximant diameter of 1.5 inches, and that the tail tie down attachment had been bent and pushed upward. The pilot said that during the flare, he configured the airplane in an excessive nose-up attitude in efforts to use as little runway as possible. The pilot believed that the tail tie down attachment contacted the ground during the touchdown. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were reported.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,629 hours in all; 338 in this make and model; 94 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 Series (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TUS Tucson AZ
- Destination: Morenci AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.