- Date
- March 15, 2011, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Vero Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9212EPiper PA28
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 18, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110315005849A
- Case key
- 78586
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 failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout.
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 stated that he was conducting his second solo flight. After performing maneuvers in the practice area, he returned to the airport to conduct takeoffs and landings. After the second landing, he tried to expedite exiting the runway and attempted to depress the brakes fully. The airplane turned to the right, travelled into a grassy area on the right side of the runway, and impacted a taxiway sign. It sustained substantial damage to the left wing. A postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies.
Factual narrative
The student pilot stated that he was conducting his second solo flight. After performing maneuvers in the practice area, he returned to the airport to conduct takeoffs and landings. The student pilot stated that, after the second landing, he was "in a hurry" to exit the runway and attempted to depress the brakes "all the way." The airplane "turned to the right," travelled into a grassy area on the right side of the runway, and impacted a taxiway sign, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9212E
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (161)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2841017
- Airframe hours
- 10,085
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- FlightSafety International
- Registered owner
- FlightSafety International
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 10, 2011
- Departed
- VRB · Vero Beach, FL
- Destination
- VRB · Vero Beach, FL
- Airport
- VRB · Vero Beach Municipal, runway 11L, 3,504 × 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
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 34 total · 34 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 19, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 878 KB 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.