- Date
- October 3, 2007, 12:06 local (17:06 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Forks, ND
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N437NDPiper PA28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAR FSDO/ FAA-ACE-ROC
- Case key
- 66860
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 lack of experience and the excessive taxi speed by the pilot. A contributing factors was the airport sign.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The student pilot, on his first solo flight, reported that the tower controller requested the pilot turn on exit A2. The pilot reported that while he tried to comply with tower's request, the airplane was still at 20-30 knots airspeed when he attempted the turn. The aircraft went off the runway into the grass and impacted the runway hold short sign with the left wing. There were no injuries. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction.
Factual narrative
The aircraft was substantially damaged after landing while exiting the runway. The student pilot, on his first solo flight, reported that the tower controller requested the pilot turn on exit A2. The pilot reported that while he tried to comply with tower's request, the airplane was still at 20-30 knots airspeed when he attempted the turn. The aircraft went off the runway into the grass and impacted the runway hold short sign with the left wing. There were no injuries. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N437ND
- Reported as
- Piper PA28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2842214
- Airframe hours
- 3,191
- Engine
- Textron Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- University of North Dakota
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · September 1, 2007
- Departed
- KGFK · Grand Forks, ND
- Destination
- KGFK · Grand Forks, ND
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 16 total · 16 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.65 inHg
- Observed at
- KGFK