Piper PA-34-200 accident near Corvallis, Oregon, May 9, 2001
On May 9, 2001 at about 1:12 am local time, a Piper PA-34-200, registered N47GM, was destroyed in an accident near Corvallis, Oregon (Corvallis Muni airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student instructor's failure to maintain the airplane's minimum control airspeed during a practice single-engine approach, and the flight instructor's failure to direct or accomplish a timely go-around, resulting in loss of aircraft control with insufficient altitude for recovery. A factor was the student instructor's failure to maintain runway alignment during the approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 2001 · about 1:12 am local time
- Place
- Corvallis, Oregon · Corvallis Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200 · all PA-34-200s on the register
- Registration
- N47GM · no longer on the register · serial 34-7350224
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident flight was an instructional flight with two airline transport pilot-rated pilots aboard, of whom one was a flight instructor and the other was undergoing training to become a multiengine airplane flight instructor. Approximately 1 hour after takeoff, the flight instructor initiated a simulated left engine failure situation approximately 5 nautical miles east of the airport. A visual flight rules approach was performed to runway 27 with the left engine set to a zero-thrust condition. During the landing flare, the student instructor (who, according to the flight instructor, was controlling the aircraft at the time) did not maintain alignment with the runway centerline. The airplane's airspeed also dropped below the airplane's single-engine minimum control airspeed (Vmc) in the landing flare. The flight instructor called for a go-around, both pilots advanced the throttles, and the aircraft "accelerated normally and begin [sic] a climb", according to the flight instructor. The flight instructor then reduced flaps to 10 degrees. The aircraft then began to roll and yaw to the left. The flight instructor applied full right aileron and full right rudder, and reduced power on both engines in an effort to regain control. The aircraft then struck the ground in approximately a 30-degree left banked attitude, spun around and caught fire. Post-accident examinations of the aircraft's flight controls and left engine by FAA and Textron Lycoming investigators did not reveal any evidence of pre-impact mechanical discrepancies.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,768 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 51 in the last 30 days; 1,034 as pilot in command; 484 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 27, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 5,700 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,450.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 23, 2001; 24.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-360-C1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming LIO-360-C1E6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Avia Aviation Services
The flight
- Departed from: CVO Corvallis OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,355 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 1:15 am from CVO
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.