- Date
- May 10, 2018, 11:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Wickenburg, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N430PAPiper PA28
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 24, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 97232
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 the landing roll in tailwind conditions.
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 student pilot reported that the approach was stable, but during the landing roll, when applying the brakes, the airplane veered to the right. He released the brakes because he thought he needed to maintain directional control, but he then reapplied the brakes. Subsequently, he added full power to go around, and after becoming airborne, the airplane turned left. The right wing struck a runway sign, the student reduced power and landed the airplane, and he then applied the brakes to stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the stabilator. The flight school's safety manager reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 13 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 210° at 7 knots. The airplane landed on runway 05.
Factual narrative
The student pilot reported that the approach was stable, but during the landing roll, when applying the brakes, the airplane veered to the right. He released he brakes because he thought he needed to in order to maintain directional control, but he then reapplied the brakes. Subsequently, he added full power to go around, and after becoming airborne, the airplane turned left. The right wing struck a runway sign, the student reduced power, the airplane landed, and he applied the brakes to stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the stabilator. The Safety Manager of the flight school reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 13 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 210° at 7 knots. The airplane landed on runway 05.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N430PA
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (181)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2843488
- Built
- 2001
- Airframe hours
- 20,879
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- AeroGuard Flight Training Center
- Registered owner
- Bird Acquisition LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · May 3, 2018
- Departed
- E63 · Gila Bend, AZ
- Destination
- E25 · Wickenburg, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR/IFR
- Airport
- E25 · Wickenburg Muni, runway 05, 6,101 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 46 total · 46 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 97 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.77 inHg
- Observed at
- KLUF, 33 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 1, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB in all.