# NTSB CEN24LA131: Piper PA-28-140, N603LH, Lubbock, TX, March 5, 2024 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report - Date: March 5, 2024, 17:30 local (23:30 UTC) - Place: Lubbock, TX · runway - Coordinates: 33.676283, -101.826 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6763&lon=-101.8260&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Takeoff: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Flight Standards - NTSB case key (mKey): 193911 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN24LA131 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/193911/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193911 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN24LA131 ## Probable cause The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during a touch-and-go. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Student/instructed pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-28-140, 103 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=7102802), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-28-140, 40 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md?model=7102802), [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Takeoff: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-28-140, 38 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md?model=7102802), [All aircraft, 4,585 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md) - [Takeoff: Runway excursion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300); cases with it: [Piper PA-28-140, 47 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md?model=7102802), [All aircraft, 3,643 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md) ## Analysis After the student pilot completed three successful takeoff and landings with his instructor, he began his initial solo flight. The first takeoff and landing were uneventful. Following the second approach, the student pilot made a successful landing and initiated a touch-and-go by advancing the throttle to maximum power. The student pilot noted that once the airplane reached rotation speed and he added aft control pressure, the nose wheel began to lift and bounce during rotation. The airplane veered left and exited the left side of the runway. The right wing impacted the runway which resulted in substantial damage. The airplane came to rest upright in the grass adjacent to the runway. The student pilot did not report any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N603LH](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N603LH), registered now, S/N 28-20030, built 1964 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28-140 - Registry model: [Piper PA-28-140](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (registry code 7102802) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 28-20030 - Year built: 1964 - Airframe hours: 2661 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-E2A 140 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Operator: Hub City Aviation Academy LLC, doing business as Hub City Aviation - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, November 12, 2023, 92 hours before - Departed: KLBB, Lubbock, TX - Destination: Same as departure - Airport: LBB, Lubbock Preston Smith International, runway 17R, 11,500 × 150 ft, concrete - Equipment: Handheld GPS, ADS-B ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Student pilot; age 20; injuries: none; student; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; restraint: lap only; flight hours: 15.2 total, 12.2 in this make and model, 7.3 in the last 90 days, 7.3 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 140° at 5 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 70 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 29.90 inHg - Observed at: KLBB, 1 nm away - METAR: KLBB 052330Z AUTO 13016KT 10SM CLR 21/01 A2990 RMK T02100010 MADISHF ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Incident 20240305001799I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240305001799I), Mar 5, 2024: Piper PA-28-140, Lubbock, TX, Substantial damage. On March 5, 2024, at 1731 CDT, a Piper cherokee 140 aircraft registered to the flight school at Lubbock airport departed to the left of runway 17 right before… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 12, 2024, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193911. 4.3 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 3.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16881171&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=01%20--%20Accident%20Report%20--%20CEN24LA131_redacted-Rel.pdf - Memorandum for record a�� pilot (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 68 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16882045&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=02%20--%20Conversation%20Summary_Pilot-Rel.pdf - Photos (item 3, PDF, 4 pages, 300 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16881328&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=03%20--%20Accident%20Photos-Rel.pdf - Memorandum for record a�� FAA inspector (item 4, PDF, 1 page, 68 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16881181&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=04%20--%20Conversation%20Summary_FAA%20Inspector-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- 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.