# Accident 20000826015209A: Piper PA18105, Cullman, AL, August 26, 2000 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 26, 2000, 17:30 local time - Place: Cullman, AL - Airport: Folsom Field Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 34.1706° N, 86.8302° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.1706&lon=-86.8302&mi=10 - Aircraft: N239NA (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA18105 - Reported engine: LYC O290* - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 245 total, 61 in this make and model, 27 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA00LA250](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA00LA250) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000826015209A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) ON 8/26/00, MS. ROBERTSON WAS FLYING N239NA, A SUPER CUB PIPER PA-18, FOR HER FIRST TAILWHEEL SOLO FLIGHT. AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL TAKEOFF AND NORMAL TRAFFIC PATTERN, SHE PROCEEDED TO LAND THE A/C ON RUNWAY 20. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, SHE LOST CONTROL DUE TO MISMANAGED CONTROLS. THE A/C DEPARTED THE RUNWAY WITH POWER, CROSSED THE GRASS AREA BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY, WENT OVER THE TAXIWAY AND INTO A DITCH. MS. ROBERTSON WAS INJRED AND HOSPITALIZED AND THE A/C RECEIVED DAMAGE TO THE GEAR, PROPELLOR, WINDSHIELD, FUSELAGE AND RIGHT WING. (.4) ON AUGUST 26, 2000, ABOUT 1700 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-18, N239NA, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE OWNER AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, RAN OFF THE RUNWAY WHILE THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING A TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING AT CULLMAN, ALABAMA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT INCURRED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE PRIVATE-RATED PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED THE SAME DAY, ABOUT 1720. THE PILOT STATED THAT SHE STAYED IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN TO PERFORM ONE LANDING, AND DURING THE LANDING THE APPROACH WAS PERFECT, BUT AFTER BOTH WHEELS WERE ON THE RUNWAY, THE AIRPLANE VEERED TO THE RIGHT. SHE SAID THAT SHE ATTEMPTED TO COUNTERACT THE MOVEMENT TO THE RIGHT BY STEPPING ON THE LEFT RUDDER, BUT THE AIRPLANE WENT TO THE LEFT AND THEN THE RIGHT AGAIN. SHE SAID THAT SHE THEN APPLIED FULL POWER, THINKING THAT SHE COULD MAKE IT FLY, BUT WIHT THE APPLICATION OF FULL POWER THE AIRPLANE'S SPEED INCREASED, AND IT CONTINUED TO VEER TO THE RIGHT. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE AIRPLANE EXITED THE RUNWAY AND HIT THE BANK, AT FULL POWER, INCURRING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT ALSO SAID THAT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THERE HAD BEEN NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE TO THE A/C OR ANY OF ITS SYSTEMS. ACCORDING TO THE FAA INSPECTOR WHO EXAMINED THE ACCIDENT AIRPLANE, THE STUDENT HAD BEEN RECEIVING DUAL FLIGHT INSTRUCTION IN THE AIRPLANE AND SHE AND HER INSTRUCTOR HAD STAYED IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN IN ORDER TO PRACTICE TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. THE INSPECTOR FURTHER STATED THAT AFTER PERFORMING SOME LANDINGS TOGETHER, THE INSTRUCTOR EXITED THE A/C, AND THE STUDENT PROCEEDED ON HER FIRST SOLO FLIGHT IN THAT A/C. THE INSPECTOR SAID THAT DURING THE SOLO LANDING THE STUDENT MISMANAGED THE CONTROLS AND THE A/C DEPARTED THE RUNWAY WITH POWER STILL APPLIED. IT CROSSED THE GRASS AREA BETWEEN THE RUNWAY AND TAXIWAY, WENT OVER THE TAXIWAY AND INTO A DITCH, INCURRING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MIA00LA250](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA00LA250), Aug 26, 2000: Piper PA-18-105 (N239NA), Cullman, AL, substantial damage. Probable cause: failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the aircraft during the landing rollout, which resulted in a ground swerve, and the aircraft exiting the runway and incurring substantial… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.