Piper PA-28-181 accident near Wickenburg, Arizona, August 30, 2012
On August 30, 2012 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N309PA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Wickenburg, Arizona. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s delayed response in correcting the student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 2012 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- Wickenburg, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N309PA · registry record · serial 2843508
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor said that during a landing, the student pilot flared too high and that he then took over control of the airplane. The airplane landed hard, and the tail tie-down hook struck the runway and was displaced into the fuselage, substantially damaging the aft bulkhead. Although the instructor conducted a postflight inspection of the airplane, the damage was not discovered at the time. When the flight instructor performed the next takeoff, he noticed that the elevator flight control was sluggish and minimally responsive, and the airplane’s climb performance was poor. The flight instructor landed the airplane without further incident. The damage was discovered during a subsequent inspection. The flight instructor reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have affected normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 920 hours in all; 526 in this make and model; 217 in the last 90 days; 73 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 10, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,276 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 26, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Transpac Aviation Academy
The flight
- Departed from: E63 Gila Bend AZ at 10:00 pm
- Destination: E25 Wickenburg AZ
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.73 inHg
- Observation at 10:30 pm from E25
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N309PA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR12CA380.