19951023044759I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-160 · Franklin, NC · October 23, 1995

Date
October 23, 1995 · 12:00 local
Place
Franklin, NC
Airport
Macon County Airport
Phase of flight
Touch And Go Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N5599W
Reported as
Piper PA28160
Reported engine
Lycoming O320*
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
80 total35 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: the student pilot was making his first supervised solo flight, a series of three takeoffs, followed by full stop landings. Solo endorsements were properly made, and 80 hours of dual instruction had been logged in preparation for solo. The FAA certificated flight instructor (CFI) was watching, and available on the airport's UNICOM radio frequency. On the third full stop landing the student pilot had a problem. He said that when he pushed in the carburetor heat knob, he also pushed in the adjacent throttle knob. He could not explain why he had done this, but possibly it was an unconscious habit from having done so many dual "touch and go" landings. In any case, with full throttle, the plane accelerated and veered left, and he lost directional control. The plane crossed the grassy area adjacent to the runway, and then a ditch, where it colided with the FAR side embankment. The aircraft's propeller, engine, engine cowling, engine mount, and nose landing gear were damaged. privacy data omitted privacy data omitted investigation closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE STUDENT PILOT WAS MAKING HIS FIRST SUPERVISED SOLO FLIGHT, A SERIES OF THREE TAKEOFFS, FOLLOWED BY FULL STOP LANDINGS. SOLO ENDORSEMENTS WERE PROPERLY MADE, AND 80 HOURS OF DUAL INSTRUCTION HAD BEEN LOGGED IN PREPARATION FOR SOLO. THE FAA CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) WAS WATCHING, AND AVAILABLE ON THE AIRPORT'S UNICOM RADIO FREQUENCY. ON THE THIRD FULL STOP LANDING THE STUDENT PILOT HAD A PROBLEM. HE SAID THAT WHEN HE PUSHED IN THE CARBURETOR HEAT KNOB, HE ALSO PUSHED IN THE ADJACENT THROTTLE KNOB. HE COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY HE HAD DONE THIS, BUT POSSIBLY IT WAS AN UNCONSCIOUS HABIT FROM HAVING DONE SO MANY DUAL "TOUCH AND GO" LANDINGS. IN ANY CASE, WITH FULL THROTTLE, THE PLANE ACCELERATED AND VEERED LEFT, AND HE LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. THE PLANE CROSSED THE GRASSY AREA ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY, AND THEN A DITCH, WHERE IT COLIDED WITH THE FAR SIDE EMBANKMENT. THE AIRCRAFT'S PROPELLER, ENGINE, ENGINE COWLING, ENGINE MOUNT, AND NOSE LANDING GEAR WERE DAMAGED. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INVESTIGATION CLOSED.