- Date
- April 30, 2011, 17:20 local (21:20 UTC)
- Place
- Millbrook, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N984DPiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Teterboro FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110430012179A
- Case key
- 78996
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 landing and the pilot’s inadequate remedial action, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Findings · 4
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 private pilot, who was not a flight instructor, allowed the student pilot to fly the airplane from the left front seat after the student pilot purchased the airplane. The student pilot and the private pilot departed and then landed at an intermediate airport. They returned to the airplane, conducted a thorough preflight inspection and departed to their destination airport. While landing at the destination airport, the student pilot applied uneven brakes and the airplane veered to the left, striking the runway lights. The private pilot also applied brakes and informed the student pilot to reduce the power. The student pilot then added full power and the airplane departed the left side of the runway before colliding with a tree. The airplane sustained structural damage to the left wing. The private pilot stated that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The private pilot, who was not a flight instructor, allowed the student pilot to fly the airplane from the left front seat, after the student pilot purchased the airplane. The student pilot and the private pilot departed and landed at an intermediate airport. They returned to the airplane, conducted a thorough preflight inspection and departed to their destination airport. While landing at the destination airport, the student pilot applied uneven brakes and the airplane veered to the left, striking the runway lights. The private pilot also applied brakes and informed the student pilot to "power back." The student pilot then added full power, the airplane departed the left side of the runway, and collided with a tree. The airplane sustained structural damage to the left wing. The private pilot stated there were no mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N984D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2843257
- Airframe hours
- 1,333
- Engine
- Lycoming O&VO-360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William G. Faulkner
- Registered owner
- Ramsawak Jai
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 2010 · 46 hours before
- Departed
- 1B1 · Hudson, NY
- Destination
- 44N · Millbrook, NY
- Airport
- 44N · Sky Acres Airport, runway 35, 3,830 × 60 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 · 2
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
- Last flight review
- August 18, 2010
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 656 total · 643 in this make and model · 453 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- POU, 8 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 3, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 MB 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.