- Date
- April 23, 2011, 15:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Wales, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N57WVPiper PA-28-180
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 11, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110423008709A
- Case key
- 78946
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 failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
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 pilot stated that during the landing roll the airplane encountered a gust of wind and veered off the left side of the turf runway. After the pilot regained control, he attempted to avoid a ditch by applying right rudder. He was unsuccessful in correcting the airplane's alignment and the left main landing gear impacted the ditch, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing spar. The pilot reported there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that during the landing roll, a gust of wind impacted the airplane, which turned to the left and departed the left side of the 50-feet-wide, turf runway. After the pilot regained control, he attempted to avoid a ditch by imputing right rudder. The left main landing gear impacted the ditch resulting in substantial damage to the left wing spar. The pilot reported there were no preexisting mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N57WV
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-4648
- Airframe hours
- 5,082
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Lycett James T
- Registered owner
- Lycett James T
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2010
- Departed
- FPR · Fort Pierce, FL
- Destination
- X25 · Lake Wales, FL
- Airport
- X25 · Chalet Suzanne Air Strip, runway 18, 2,313 × 50 ft, grass/turf
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 705 total · 695 in this make and model · 606 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- BOW, 9 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 17, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 200 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.
Other investigations on N57WV · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.