- Date
- April 27, 2020, 18:00 local (Apr 28, 2020, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Longmont, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N41498Piper PA28
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200427010359A
- Case key
- 101219
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of control during a go around.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot checked the weather at his planned destination airport during the return leg of a cross-county flight. The wind speed was higher than his personal minimums, so he diverted to a nearby airport with reported calm wind. He entered the pattern for runway 11 and noticed that the wind was from the south. Prior to touchdown, the wind decreased and the airplane's nose tracked to the left. The pilot added power for a go-around but did not compensate with enough right rudder which aggravated the airplane's misalignment. The airplane touched down and exited the side of the runway. The airplane's left wing struck a taxiway sign resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that could have contributed to the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot checked the weather at his planned destination airport during the return leg of a cross-county flight. The wind speed was higher than his personal minimums, so he diverted to a nearby airport with reported calm wind. He entered the pattern for runway 11 and noticed that the wind was from the south. Prior to touchdown, the wind decreased and the airplane's nose tracked to the left. The pilot added power for a go-around but did not compensate with enough right rudder which aggravated the airplane's misalignment. The airplane touched down and exited the side of the runway. The airplane's left wing struck a taxiway sign resulting in substantial damage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that could have contributed to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41498
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (151)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7415237
- Built
- 1974
- Airframe hours
- 4,624.81
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 27, 2020 · 96.31 hours before
- Departed
- FLY · Colorado Springs, CO
- Destination
- LMO · Longmont, CO
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- LMO · Vance Brand, runway 11, 4,799 × 75 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 23, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 95 total · 92 in this make and model · 31 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- KLMO
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 15, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.