Event CEN14LA080

Factual narrative

On December 07, 2013, about 1652 MST, a Piper model PA46 500TP airplane, N220JE, sustained substantial damage during a runway excursion while landing on runway 22 at the Double Eagle II Airport (AEG), Albuquerque, New Mexico. Upon landing, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight. The flight originated from the Tucson International Airport (TUS), Tucson, Arizona, about 1534.The pilot reported that he had flown the airplane to TUS and had parked the airplane at a fixed base operation on the airport for about 2-1/2 hours. When he returned he noted that the airplane had been moved. It had been turned about 90 degrees from the position where the pilot had parked the airplane earlier. The pilot reported that he then departed TUS en route to AEG. As the airplane approached AEG it began to accumulate ice. The pilot stated that the airplane's de-icing system was effective at removing the ice from the wings and that his visibility was still good and unobstructed. He elected to fly the instrument approach (ILS rwy 22) into AEG without flaps and with about 20 percent more airspeed than usual. When the pilot lowered the landing gear he noticed that it took much longer for the landing gear to extend that what he was accustomed to. He noted that usually the two main landing gear would extend at the same time, but this time the right main landing gear extended several seconds before the left main landing gear. During the approach, the pilot was advised that the wind had shifted, yielding a slight quartering tailwind. The pilot elected to continue the landing on runway 22 rather than circling to land on runway 4. The pilot reported that the landing was normal, but as soon as the airplane touched down he felt "as if [the airplane] was on glare ice." He noted that he had never experienced the airplane reacting as it had during the accident landing. His efforts to control the slide were unsuccessful and the airplane exited the runway to the right. Postaccident examination revealed both main landing gear collapsed to the right. The nose landing gear was intact. Following the accident the airplane was placed on jacks. Manual manipulation of the rudder pedals revealed less than full travel of both the rudder and the nose wheel steering. The nose gear shimmy damper was removed and travel was again checked with no apparent change. The shimmy damper appeared undamaged. Examination of the engine mount and nose gear actuator showed no visible damage. There was damage to the fuselage in the area near the main cabin door where cables to the aft fuselage were routed. The pilot reported that the runway condition was "dry", and "ice covered". The airport manager was contacted and he stated that the runway may have had some patches of ice, but the runway was not ice covered. Weather information indicated that the airport had received 0.01 inches of precipitation in the preceding 7 days. The pilot reported that, as the airplane approached the destination airport, it began to accumulate ice; he cycled the anti-icing boots, which effectively cleared the wings. He chose to fly the approach at a higher-than-normal airspeed and with no flaps. The pilot also reported that, when he lowered the landing gear, he noted that the main landing gear, which normally extend at the same time, extended at different rates. While on final approach, a tower air traffic controller informed the pilot that the wind had shifted and that a quartering tailwind existed. The controller asked the pilot if he wanted to circle to a more favorable runway, but the pilot chose to land on the original runway instead of maneuvering at low altitude with ice on the airplane. The pilot reported that, as the airplane touched down, it felt as if it "was on glare ice" and that his efforts to control the airplane were unsuccessful. The airplane exited the right side of the runway, and both main landing gear collapsed. During postaccident examination of the airplane, manual manipulation of the rudder revealed limited travel of both the nose landing gear steering system and the rudder. Given that the pilot did not report any difficulties with the airplane's ground handling during the taxi and takeoff at the departure airport, it is likely that the limited travel was due to fuselage damage near the control cable routing that was incurred during the accident. The pilot reported that the runway was "dry" and "ice covered." The airport manager reported that the runway might have had some patches of ice but that it was not ice covered. Further, weather information indicated that only 0.01 inch of precipitation had occurred at the airport in the preceding 7 days; therefore, it is unlikely that the runway was covered with ice at the time of the landing. The pilot likely lost directional control during landing due to his inadequate compensation for the quartering tailwind. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Response/compensation - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface-Snow/slush/ice covered-Effect on operation