- Date
- March 19, 2023, 16:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Sanford, NC · on airport
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N565TFPiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230319002689A
- Case key
- 106912
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
A loss of directional control while landing, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with a ditch.
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 reported that after the airplane touched down on the runway, it “unexpectedly” veered to the left. He tried to keep the airplane on the runway by applying full right rudder, but the airplane continued toward the left side of the runway. The pilot said that the airplane was about to pass a taxiway, and he tried to increase the turn to stay on the asphalt. But, due to the airplane’s speed, it went off the runway, into the grass and struck a ditch. This resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s braking and rudder system revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N565TF
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2881565
- Built
- 2022
- Airframe hours
- 164
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-B4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Air Therapy LLC
- Registered owner
- Air Therapy LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 16, 2022
- Departed
- MTN · Martinsville, VA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- TTA · Raleigh Executive, runway 3, 6,501 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 8, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 142 total · 82 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- KTTA
- METAR
- METAR KTTA 192025Z AUTO 32007KT 10SM CLR 09/M10 A3015
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 23, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 25.2 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.