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LAX91LA404

1991-09-22 · COTTONWOOD, Arizona, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport P52

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S DELAY IN RAISING THE FLAPS AND THE SUBSEQUENT INADVERTENT STALL/MUSH.

Factual narrative

THE RECENTLY CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT REPORTED THAT SHE WAS PRACTICING TOUCH & GO T.O.'S AND LANDINGS. ON THE THIRD T.O. WITH THE FLAPS EXTENDED 40 DEGREES, THEN SHE PLACED THE FLAP LEVER TO 10 DEGREES. THE AIRPLANE THEN PREMATURELY LIFTED OFF, BUT THE AIRSPEED WAS NOT ACCELERATING. THE PILOT REALIZED THE FLAPS WERE STILL FULLY EXTENDED AND THE AIRPLANE WAS ONLY ABOUT 2-FT OFF THE GROUND AND BEYOND THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT THEN ELECTED TO EXECUTE AN OFF-AIRPORT LANDING IN THE BRUSH COVERED DESERT. RESCUE PERSONNEL REPORTED THAT WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE THE FLAPS WERE RETRACTED. AN FAA INSPECTOR REPORTED THE FLAPS WERE FULLY EXTENDED AND THAT THE FLAP LEVER WAS IN THE FULLY EXTENDED POSITION WHEN HE ARRIVED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AFTER THE RESCUE PERSONNEL LEFT. HE STATED THAT THE FLAPS OPERATED NORMALLY. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_LAX91LA404.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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