# Incident 20181219022129I: Piper PA-28-161, Merritt Island, FL, December 19, 2018 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: December 19, 2018, 09:10 local time - Place: Merritt Island, FL - Airport: Merritt Island - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout - Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141) - Location: 28.3416° N, 80.6855° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at MERRITT ISLAND (COI), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.3416&lon=-80.6855&mi=10 - Aircraft: N140ND, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N140ND) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-28-161 (registry code 7102803, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-161 - Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Student - Pilot flight hours: 16 total, 16 in this make and model, 16 in the last 90 days - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20181219022129I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE STUDENT PILOT REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: SHE WENT ON HER FIRST SOLO FLIGHT AFTER PRACTICING 3 FULL STOP LANDINGS WITH HER INSTRUCTOR. DURING HER FIRST SOLO LANDING, SHE APPLIED THE BRAKES WHILE CONTROLLING THE ACFT TO KEEP IT ON THE RWY CENTER LINE. THE ACFT THEN VEERED TO THE LEFT AND SHE ATTEMPTED TO COMPENSATE WITH RIGHT RUDDER. THE ACFT WENT OFF THE RUNWAY AND STOPPED IN THE GRASS. THE PILOT'S CFI OBSERVED THE MISHAP FROM THE GROUND. HE REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: HE HAD DECIDED TO SEND THE STUDENT ON HER FOR THE FIRST SOLO FLT AFTER SHE PRACTICED 3 FULL STOP LANDINGS IN PREPARATION FOR THE SOLO FLIGHT. THE WIND WAS CALM, THE WIND SOCK WAS SHOWING FEW KNOTS FAVORING THE USE OF RWY 29 PLUS THE ACFT IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN WERE USING RWY 29. THE STUDENT TOOK OFF NORMALLY, AND FLEW THE TRAFFIC PATTERN. ON FINAL, EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD, AND SHE TOUCHED DOWN ON CENTER LINE. DURING ROLL OUT, THE ACFT YAWED LEFT AND RIGHT UNTIL THE ACFT WENT OFF THE RUNWAY INTO THE GRASS WHERE THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP. REVIEW OF A VIDEO TAKEN BY ONE OF THE FLT SCHOOL'S EXTERNAL SECURITY CAMERAS REVEALED THAT THE ACFT APPEARED TO REMAIN ON THE RUNWAY CENTER LINE DURING THE INITIAL ROLL OUT. THE ACFT THEN VEERED LEFT OFF THE RWY ONTO GRASS, AND TRAVELED ABOUT 400 FEET ROUGHLY PARALLEL TO THE RWY. THE ACFT THEN ABRUPTLY TURNED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT ABOUT 90 TO 100 DEGREES, BEFORE COMING TO A SUDDEN STOP AT THE EDGE OF THE RWY. AS THE ACFT STOPPED, THE RT WING AND RT MAIN LDG GEAR LIFTED UP MOMENTARILY AND THE LT WING TIP IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE SCHOOL DIR OF MX REPORTED THAT HE INSPECTED THE ACFT DURING AND AFTER RECOVERY OPERATIONS AND FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF ANY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE IN THE ACFT BRAKE SYSTEM OR FLIGHT CONTROLS. INSPECTION OF THE ACFT BY AN FAA INSPECTOR AFTER RECOVERY OF THE ACFT FROM THE SCENE REVEALED THAT ACFT DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE LT WINGTIP FAIRING, OTBD WING RIB AND WING SKIN BETWEEN THE WING TIP RIB AND ADJACENT RIB INBD. AN INTERNAL LATERAL STRINGER WAS BENT IN THE UPPER LEADING EDGE AREA WHERE THE WING SKIN WAS WRINKLED. ## Other reports on N140ND (4) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20170428004389I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170428004389I), Apr 28, 2017: Piper PA-28-161 (N140ND), Wauchula, FL, Minor damage. The plt reported that he noticed smoke and some flames coming out from the engine cowling while he was attempting to start the engine. He and his safety pilot… - [Incident 20120602010069I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120602010069I), Jun 2, 2012: Piper PA-28-161 (N140ND), Lake Wales, FL, Minor damage. The student pilot was flying solo at Lake Wales Airport, after landing he heard another pilot reporting himself as being on short final for the active runway,… - [Accident 20041208032559A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20041208032559A), Dec 8, 2004: Piper PA28161 (N140ND), Kapolei, HI, Substantial damage. (-23) On December 8, 2004 at approximately 1207 local time, during the landing rollout, aircraft N140ND left wing struck a runway sign. No injuries to the sole… - [Accident 20000205005059A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000205005059A), Feb 5, 2000: Piper PA28161 (N140ND), Honolulu, HI, Substantial damage. (-23) The student pilot was returning from a properly authorized solo cross-country flight. She landed, as directed by tower, with a light, quatering tail-wind… 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.