Piper PA-28-181 accident near Arlington, Arizona, January 11, 1999
On January 11, 1999 at about 2:44 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N4129S, was destroyed in an accident near Arlington, Arizona. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's inadequate supervision of his student and his failure to initiate timely remedial action. Contributing factors were the student's failure to maintain the proper glidepath under the existing downdraft condition, the flight instructor's failure to adhere to the company procedure regarding minimum safe altitudes for termination of practice forced landings. Additional contributing factors were the downdraft condition and the power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 1999 · about 2:44 pm local time
- Place
- Arlington, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 2 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N4129S · no longer on the register · serial 2843123
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certified flight instructor (CFI) was familiar with the area, and he initiated a simulated total loss of engine power for a practice forced landing for his student as they approached a crop duster airstrip. The dirt airstrip is located on a small bluff, and approaching it they encountered a downdraft. The student reset the wing flaps from 40 to 25 degrees; however, the airplane descended below the desired glide path. The CFI allowed the student to continue approaching the airstrip. The CFI directed that a go-around be initiated, and engine power was rapidly applied. Seconds later, the airplane impacted a residential service power line and an unoccupied house as the power was increasing. The airplane came to rest about 550 short of the airstrip. The operator, who employed the CFI, reported that it had provided the CFI with written guidance regarding the minimum altitude at which go-arounds were to be initiated during the practice of simulated forced landings. In pertinent part, the operator's Procedures and Techniques manual stated the following: 'Every go around from a simulated engine failure shall be performed by the student prior to 500 feet AGL if not approaching a paved runway.'
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,514 hours in all; 219 in this make and model; 134 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 10,393 as pilot in command; 5,127 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 785 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 20, 1998; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GYR Goodyear AZ at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 pm from GYR, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.
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.