Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Tucson, Arizona, December 11, 1998
On December 11, 1998 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N9320N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tucson, Arizona (Ryan Field). 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
Failure of the instructor pilot to maintain directional control and properly supervise the landing. A contributing factor was the unavailability of brakes on the instructor's side (the right side) of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 1998 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Ryan Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N9320N · registry record · serial 28R-35020
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the flight was to conduct a proficiency check. The flight instructor demonstrated a soft field landing from the right seat. On the landing rollout the airplane veered to the right. The airplane was configured with left-hand toe brakes only. Brakes on the right side are optional, and this particular airplane did not come equipped with right side brakes. He was unable to regain control of the airplane and it continued off of the runway and the gear collapsed. The flight instructor felt that the student pilot panicked and he did not respond quickly enough to the situation. He believed that the pilot continued to apply incorrect inputs into the steering and brakes to control the airplane. The airplane's landing gear and braking system were inspected, as well as the airplane maintenance logs, no discrepancies were noted.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,719 hours in all; 42 in this make and model; 604 in the last 90 days; 92 in the last 30 days; 2,607 as pilot in command; 2,176 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RYN AZ at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6R, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:26 pm from RYN
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.