- Date
- April 4, 2015, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cornelia, GA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7153ZPiper PA 18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 27, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20150404006819A
- Case key
- 91171
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, which resulted in a runway excursion.
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 just as he was going to touch down on the runway, the airplane wanted to turn to the left, he applied right rudder but it was not affective. He applied full power and attempted to abort the landing but the airplane would not gain lift. The airplane veered left off the runway and into the grass and was traveling towards a ditch. He applied one notch of flaps in an attempt to clear the ditch; subsequently the airplanes main wheels came in contact with the ditch first and stopped immediately, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that just as he was going to touch down on the runway, the airplane wanted to turn to the left, he applied right rudder but it was not affective. He applied full power and attempted to abort the landing but the airplane would not gain lift. The airplane veered left off the runway and into the grass and was traveling towards a ditch. He applied one notch of flaps in an attempt to clear the ditch; subsequently the airplanes main wheels came in contact with the ditch first and stopped immediately, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7153Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA 18-150 (A150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8266
- Built
- 1965
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Supercub 88 LLC
- Registered owner
- Supercub 88 LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- LZU · Lawrenceville, GA
- Destination
- LZU · Lawrenceville, GA
- Airport
- AJR · Habersham County, runway 24, 5,506 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 15, 2014
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,225 total · 59.5 in this make and model · 1,109.4 as pilot in command · 61.2 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 11 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- KGVL, 19 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.
Other investigations on N7153Z · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.