NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DEN89LA129
Registry · N9421N
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-28R-200
Year of manufacture
1969 · 20 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19690321
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AD171E
Registrant of record
MITZOOM MONTANA LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY EVALUATE THE EXISTING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE SUBSEQUENT TAKEOFF INTO ADVERSE CONDITIONS WHICH DEGRADED THE AIRPLANE'S CLIMB CAPABILITY. THE PILOT PERFORMED AN INTENTIONAL GEAR UP LANDING.
Factual narrative
THE TAKEOFF WAS MADE ON RWY 35 WITH A DENSITY ALT CALCULATED TO BE 10,645 FT. THE LOCAL WINDS WERE REPORTED TO BE FROM 270 DEGREES AT 25 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 30 KTS. THE PILOT STATED THE WIND EFFECT ON TAKEOFF WAS 'NOTABLY MORE SEVERE' AND THERE WAS MODERATE TURBULENCE. THE ACFT GAINED 300 FT BUT THE TURN TO CROSSWIND RESULTED IN ALTITUDE LOSS. THE PILOT STATED HE COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALTITUDE AND EXECUTED AN OFF ARPT PRECAUTIONARY LANDING WITH THE GEAR UP. THE ARPT FIXED BASE OPERATOR STATED SEVERAL AIRCRAFT ABANDONED LANDINGS AND DIVERTED TO OTHER AIRPORTS DUE TO TURBULENCE AND HIGH WIND. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_DEN89LA129.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (turbulence). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- arXiv 2026 · arXiv preprint
Direct Numerical Simulations of Ice-Ocean Boundary Turbulence
Turbulent heat and freshwater transport at ice-ocean interfaces controls glacier and iceberg melt rates, yet the underlying physics remains poorly constrained.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
Political Turbulence and Aviation Safety: A Cross-National Analysis of Political Stability's Effects on Aviation Accidents
To what extent does political stability affect aviation safety? This research aims to link domestic political conditions and public safety through the consideration of aviation accident frequency.
- arXiv 2025 · arXiv preprint
Explainable LiDAR 3D Point Cloud Segmentation and Clustering for Detecting Airplane-Generated Wind Turbulence
Wake vortices - strong, coherent air turbulences created by aircraft - pose a significant risk to aviation safety and therefore require accurate and reliable detection methods.
- arXiv 2024 · arXiv preprint
Does small-scale turbulence matter for ice growth in mixed-phase clouds?
Representing the glaciation of mixed-phase clouds in terms of the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process is a challenge for many weather and climate models, which tend to overestimate this process because…
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint
Effects of electrostatic interaction on clustering and collision of bidispersed inertial particles in homogeneous and isotropic turbulence
In sandstorms and thunderclouds, turbulence-induced collisions between solid particles and ice crystals lead to inevitable triboelectrification.
- SKYbrary (Eurocontrol) 2023 · SKYbrary article
Wake Vortex Turbulence — SKYbrary Knowledge Base
SKYbrary wake vortex turbulence comprehensive article — generation mechanics, dissipation factors, separation standards (ICAO LIGHT/MEDIUM/HEAVY/SUPER + recategorisation RECAT-EU).
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗