20260306002049I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-28-181 · Mesa, AZ · March 6, 2026

Date
March 6, 2026 · 14:08 local
Place
Mesa, AZ
Airport
Falcon Field Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
B4VS
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4403N
Reported as
Piper PA-28-181
Reported engine
Lycoming O-360-A4M
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student

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.

During a student solo landing, the student pilot reported maintaining the proper glide path to the runway. Upon reaching the threshold. The pilot flared and reduced power to idle. Upon touchdown, the pilot applied firm braking. The pilot reported applying greater pressure on the right brake and observed the aircraft beginning to drift left of the runway centerline. The pilot continued braking as the aircraft departed the left side of the runway and partially entered a ditch.

The aircraft subsequently pivoted and came to rest facing the runway after the propeller struck runway edge lighting, resulting in a notch in the propeller.

As the FAA filed it

DURING A STUDENT SOLO LANDING, THE STUDENT PILOT REPORTED MAINTAINING THE PROPER GLIDE PATH TO THE RUNWAY. UPON REACHING THE THRESHOLD. THE PILOT FLARED AND REDUCED POWER TO IDLE. UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE PILOT APPLIED FIRM BRAKING. THE PILOT REPORTED APPLYING GREATER PRESSURE ON THE RIGHT BRAKE AND OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT BEGINNING TO DRIFT LEFT OF THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE. THE PILOT CONTINUED BRAKING AS THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND PARTIALLY ENTERED A DITCH.

THE AIRCRAFT SUBSEQUENTLY PIVOTED AND CAME TO REST FACING THE RUNWAY AFTER THE PROPELLER STRUCK RUNWAY EDGE LIGHTING, RESULTING IN A NOTCH IN THE PROPELLER.