Meyers MAC 145 accident near La Cholla, Arizona, May 29, 2014
On May 29, 2014 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1953 Meyers MAC 145, registered N34374, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near La Cholla, Arizona (Lacholla Airpark airport). It was a personal 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
The pilot's overcorrection to a wind gust, which resulted in a loss of directional control and runway veeroff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2014 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- La Cholla, Arizona · Lacholla Airpark · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Meyers MAC 145, built 1953 · all MAC 145s on the register
- Registration
- N34374 · registry record · serial 217
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tailwheel equipped airplane received substantial damage to both wings, when the airplane veered off the runway and struck a cacti after the pilot overcorrected to compensate for a wind gust during the landing rollout. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded 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
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 1,125 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 4, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,750 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 2014; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,910 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 1,700 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E95 Benson AZ at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 57AZ La Cholla AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 4,500 ft by 445 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.50 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 pm from 57AZ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on August 29, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Weather Underground Tabular Data.xlsx | spreadsheet | Download |
| 3 | Weather Underground Data Graphic | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 1 – Overview | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 2 – Left Wing Close-up | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 3 – Right Wing Close-up | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N34374 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Meyers MAC-145 14 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Meyers 68 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-300 6,625 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- LA Cholla Airpark · nearest airport
- Benson Muni/Paul Kerchum Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 466 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,436 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR14CA224.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.