- Date
- May 23, 2023, 12:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Reidsville, NC
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8992JPiper PA28
- Defining event
- Landing: 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
- 20230523006119A
- Case key
- 192236
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 of the airplane while landing in a crosswind.
Findings · 3
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 solo student pilot described that, during the landing approach, there was a crosswind from the right. When the airplane touched down, it drifted to the left. The pilot attempted to correct by applying right rudder, but the airplane departed the left side of the runway and continued through a ditch, resulting in substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8992J
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (180)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-3016
- Built
- 1965
- Airframe hours
- 6,430
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 3, 2023 · 80 hours before
- Departed
- HKY · Hickory, NC
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SIF · Rockingham County, runway 13, 5,200 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Auto-pilot
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
- 28
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 47 total · 47 in this make and model · 5.1 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 5.7 in the last 30 days · 2.1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KSIF
- METAR
- METAR KSIF 231645Z AUTO 08006KT 040V110 10SM CLR 22/09 A3021 RMK AO2 T02210087
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.1 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.