| Crash location | 32.289444°N, 106.921945°W |
| Nearest city | Las Cruces, NM
32.312316°N, 106.778337°W 8.5 miles away |
| Tail number | N891GP |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 12 Oct 2003 |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-28-140 |
| Additional details: | None |
On October 12, 2003, at 1408 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N891GP, owned by New Mexico Flying Eagle Inc., and operated by Arizona Aero Tech, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during a go-around at Las Cruces International Airport (LRU), Las Cruces, New Mexico. The commercial certificated flight instructor (CFI) and a private certificated pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. An instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for this positioning flight being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight from Amarillo, Texas, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, originated at 1100.
According to the CFI, they were repositioning the airplane for Arizona Aero Tech and were stopping at Las Cruces for fuel. The private pilot, flying the airplane from the left seat, was attempting to land on runway 08. During the landing flare, a wind gust caused the airplane to drift left of the runway centerline. The private pilot corrected the left drift, pulled the throttle, and continued to land.
The CFI stated that upon touchdown, the airplane "immediately veered hard to the left about a 60 degree angle." At that point the CFI added power and initiated a go-around. During the attempted go-around, the private pilot pulled the throttle a second time. The CFI said that he then "took control of the airplane and put the power back in for a go-around." He said he managed to get the airplane airborne, but was not attempting to correct for the drift because they were too "low and slow." As the airplane approached the end of the runway, the airplane began to mush and the right main landing gear struck a patch of sagebrush. The airplane struck the ground and bounced a few feet before impacting a dirt berm. The impact with the berm separated the right main landing gear and displaced the right wing.
the CFI's failure to maintain aircraft control during a go-around resulting in an inadvertent stall/mush and impact with terrain. Contributing factors include the CFI's inadequate supervision, the private pilot's delayed relinquishing of control, and the inadvertent stall/mush.