On November 30, 1982, a Piper PA-38-112 (registration N2521N) operated by SW Air Rangers Corporation was involved in an aviation accident near EL Paso, TX. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during a go-around, which resulted in a stall and collision with sand dunes. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
The pilot attempted a go-around from short final due to gusty winds but stalled the aircraft, resulting in a collision with sand dunes.
What happened
During the landing phase of flight, the pilot elected to execute a go-around because of gusty wind conditions. On the subsequent attempt, the pilot initiated another go-around while on short final at an altitude of approximately 30 feet. At this point, the pilot was unable to maintain lateral alignment with the runway centerline. The aircraft subsequently stalled and collided with nearby sand dunes.
The investigation
A physical examination of the wreckage revealed that the aircraft's flaps were in the full down position at the time of impact. This configuration suggests that the stall was not caused by improper flap deployment during the go-around maneuver, but rather likely resulted from airspeed decay or control input errors during the critical low-altitude transition.
Findings
The primary factors contributing to this accident were the pilot's inability to maintain runway alignment and the resulting aerodynamic stall at a very low altitude. The gusty wind conditions likely contributed to the difficulty in controlling the aircraft's attitude and position relative to the runway threshold.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during a go-around, which resulted in a stall and collision with sand dunes.