- Date
- June 15, 2008, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Taylor, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2345GPiper PA-38-112
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080615838559A
- Case key
- 68239
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 student pilot's improper flare during landing. Contributing to the accident was the gusty winds.
Findings · 2
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 student pilot was landing on runway 17. During touchdown, the airplane bounced twice before swerving and exiting the right side of the runway. During the accident the left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. Approximately 16 minutes after the accident, a weather reporting station located 13 miles northwest of the accident site, reported winds from 160 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 16 knots.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was landing on runway 17. During touchdown, the airplane bounced twice before swerving and exiting the right side of the runway. During the accident the left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. Approximately 16 minutes after the accident, a weather reporting station located 13 miles northwest of the accident site, reported winds from 160 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 16 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2345G
- Reported as
- Piper PA-38-112
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 38-79A0501
- Airframe hours
- 9,604
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235, 112 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Pilots Choice Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 2008
- Departed
- GTU · Georgetown, TX
- Destination
- T74 · Taylor, TX
- Airport
- T74 · Taylor Muni, runway 17, 4,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 66 total · 66 in this make and model · 4 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- GTU, 13 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.