# Incident 20260119004309I: Piper PA-28-180, Punta Gorda, FL, January 19, 2026

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 19, 2026, 09:42 local time
- Place: Punta Gorda, FL
- Airport: Punta Gorda Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 26.9186° N, 81.9909° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at PUNTA GORDA (PGD), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.9186&lon=-81.9909&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7430W, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N7430W) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-180
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260119004309I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT WAS PRACTICING PATTERN WORK AT KPGD, DOING TOUCH AND GO’S. STUDENT IS PRE-SOLO AROUND 25HRS LOGGED. COMPLETED 3 TOUCH AND GO’S PRIOR TO INCIDENT. THE FOURTH LANDING WAS NORMAL, 45° OF FLAPS, MAINS AND NOSE WHEELS TOUCHED DOWN. STUDENT ATTEMPTS TO KEEP CENTERLINE FOR ROLLOUT. PILOT NOTES THE ADJUSTMENTS HE MAKES ON THE RUDDER. PLANE GENTLY STARTS TO VEER LEFT. AS USUAL, PILOT SAYS “RIGHT RUDDER” STUDENT APPLIES LEFT RUDDER INSTEAD WHICH TAKES US OFF CENTERLINE. STUDENT PANICS AND VISCERALLY REACTS BY APPLYING MORE LEFT RUDDER. PILOT IMMEDIATELY PRESS DOWN ON MY RIGHT RUDDER, AS PILOT SAYS “MY CONTROLS.” STUDENT SHOUTS THROUGHOUT THIS AND  CONTINUES TO KEEP HIS FOOT ON THE LEFT RUDDER NOT UNDERSTANDING THAT HE IS STILL CAUSING THE PLANE TO SWERVE LEFT. STUDENT APPLIES LEFT AILERON IN AN ATTEMPT TO STEER WITH HANDS. PILOT CONTROL INPUT DOES NOTHING, NO RIGHT RUDDER AUTHORITY. STUDENT OVER POWERS PILOT ON THE CONTROLS AND HIS REACTION JOLTS THEM EVEN FURTHER TO THE LEFT. THE PLANE TIPS, RIGHT WING SCRAPES AND WE SETTLE IN THE GRASS. STUDENT YELLS IN FRUSTRATION AS PILOT CALLS ATC TO LET THEM KNOW THEY SLID INTO THE GRASS. PILOT ASKS STUDENT WHY HE KEPT PUSHING LEFT RUDDER AND HE STATED HE “DIDN’T KNOW, I DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED”. FOR EVERY PATTERN PILOT FEET WERE READY BY THE RUDDERS PILOT HAD HAND HOVERING BY THE YOKE, LEFT HAND FREE AVAILABLE FOR FLAP/THROTTLE CORRECTION. PILOT WAS READY TO CORRECT IN THIS SITUATION AND DID CORRECT BUT IT DIDN’T WORK DUE TO HIS STRENGTH.

## Other reports on N7430W (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20241203020259I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20241203020259I), Dec 3, 2024: Piper PA-28-180 (N7430W), Punta Gorda, FL, Minor damage. The pilot in command was a student pilot on his second solo flight, attempting to land a PA28, Piper warrior, on runway 4. After landing, the aircraft veered…

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.

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