20090722014259I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-140 · Winnemucca, NV · July 22, 2009

Date: July 22, 2009 · 17:45 local
Place: Winnemucca, NV
Airport: Winnemucca Municipal
Phase of flight: Landing
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N2374T
Reported as: Piper PA28140
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Student
Pilot’s flight hours: 41 total30 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

N2374TRegistered now · Piper PA-28-140S/N 28-7225017 · Built 1971 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-140 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

(-23) The student pilot received her endorsement to solo a PA-28-140 on 07-02-2009. While performing touch & go's the student pilot stated that "just before touching down on the runway I experienced an immediate lift that I believe was either a gust of wind or thermal. The controls became soft and I was lifted nose up to about 5 ft above the runway. This caused me to stall, which dropped the back wheels onto the runway, and then slammed the nose wheel down hard." In speaking with the student pilot, she stated that she may have flown into a small dust devil.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE STUDENT PILOT RECEIVED HER ENDORSEMENT TO SOLO A PA-28-140 ON 07-02-2009. WHILE PERFORMING TOUCH & GO'S THE STUDENT PILOT STATED THAT "JUST BEFORE TOUCHING DOWN ON THE RUNWAY I EXPERIENCED AN IMMEDIATE LIFT THAT I BELIEVE WAS EITHER A GUST OF WIND OR THERMAL. THE CONTROLS BECAME SOFT AND I WAS LIFTED NOSE UP TO ABOUT 5 FT ABOVE THE RUNWAY. THIS CAUSED ME TO STALL, WHICH DROPPED THE BACK WHEELS ONTO THE RUNWAY, AND THEN SLAMMED THE NOSE WHEEL DOWN HARD." IN SPEAKING WITH THE STUDENT PILOT, SHE STATED THAT SHE MAY HAVE FLOWN INTO A SMALL DUST DEVIL.