Piper PA-28-140 accident near Eagar, Arizona, May 26, 2006
On May 26, 2006 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N6309W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eagar, Arizona (Springervile Municipal Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's failure to attain and maintain the proper climb airspeed, which resulted in a stall/mush.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 2006 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Eagar, Arizona · Springervile Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N6309W · no longer on the register · serial 28-20354
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane settled down onto rocky upsloping terrain after a climb rate was not achieved in the takeoff initial climb. The flight instructor said he and the 3-hour primary student had been doing pattern work, and completed one flight around the pattern prior to the accident. On the accident takeoff, they had been doing a high-speed taxi on the 8,000-foot runway. He reported that he was on the controls (throttle and ailerons), and the student was on the rudders. The instructor was adding and reducing power to get the student used to maintaining directional control of the airplane and countering the left turning tendency encountered with power application. As he added power to takeoff, he noted 2,300 revolutions per minute (rpm). After liftoff, he said that the airplane was not climbing, and the engine sounded normal and was not stuttering or missing. The instructor indicated there was rising terrain ahead and houses in the area, so he decided a forced landing into rising terrain was the best option. There were also power lines located in front of them. He knew that he would have to give up the airspeed in order to get over the power lines. He said that he "lowered the nose to get best angle of climb airspeed" and noted only a 50 fpm climb. After clearing the power lines he made the forced landing. A sheriff's deputy who responded to the site reported that the accident location was 3 miles west of the airport. He noted landing gear skid marks in the rocky terrain. The airplane struck a small tree and came to rest upright facing towards the west. The deputy further noted that the landing gear wheels had separated from the airplane. The deputy interviewed the student pilot, who stated that after takeoff they were "not able to gain their normal airspeed."
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,177 hours in all; 1,864 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 201 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 3 hours in all; 3 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,647 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D68 Springerville AZ at 3:00 pm
- Destination: D68
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 8,417 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from SJN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.