- Date
- September 24, 2015, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Van Nuys, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8258SPiper PA 28
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 14, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20150924018839A
- Case key
- 92069
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 compensate for turbulence during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and runway excursion.
Findings · 5
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 student pilot reported that during the landing, as he began to flare, the airplane was, "hit with the first blast of wake turbulence", from a helicopter that was hovering on the helipad to the left of the runway. The airplane landed hard, exited the runway to the right, and collided with a runway sign. According to the meteorological terminal aviation routine weather report (METAR) at the airport, the temperature was 99 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind was variable at 4 knots. The helicopter pad was located over 400 feet to the east of the location that the pilot reported encountering the blast of wake turbulence. Due to the distance of the helicopter pad from the event location, the ambient temperature, and lack of significant wind, it is likely the student pilot encountered thermal related turbulence on short final.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that during the landing, as he began to flare, the airplane was, "hit with the first blast of wake turbulence", from a helicopter that was hovering on the helipad to the left of the runway. The airplane landed hard, exited the runway to the right, and collided with a runway sign. According to the Meteorological Terminal Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) at the airport, the temperature was 99 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind was variable at 4 knots. The helicopter pad was located over 400 feet to the east of the location that the pilot reported encountering the blast of wake turbulence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8258S
- Reported as
- Piper PA 28 (161)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8116024
- Built
- 1981
- Airframe hours
- 11,916
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Skyward Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Skyward Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 4, 2015
- Departed
- SMO · Santa Monica, CA
- Destination
- VNY · Van Nuys, CA
- Airport
- VNY · Van Nuys, runway 16L, 4,013 × 75 ft, asphalt
- 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
- 39
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 116.5 total · 106.4 in this make and model · 22.3 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 13.8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 99 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.80 inHg
- Observed at
- VNY
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 5, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.1 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.
Other investigations on N8258S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.