- Date
- October 19, 2019, 11:10 local (16:10 UTC)
- Place
- Quakertown, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2961WPiper PA28
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 17, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 100582
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 improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing, and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with a drainage culvert.
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 he was performing a solo training flight in the traffic pattern. During the landing flare, the airplane touched down hard and bounced about 20 ft left of the runway centerline. It subsequently exited the left side of the runway and entered a drainage culvert before it came to a stop. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount.
Factual narrative
According to the student pilot, he was performing a solo training flight in the traffic pattern at the time of the accident. During the landing flare, the airplane touched down hard and bounced about 20 ft to the left of the runway centerline. It subsequently exited the left side of the runway and entered a drainage culvert before it came to a stop. The pilot reported that the wind was light and variable with no gusts present. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2961W
- Reported as
- Piper PA28 (161)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7916594
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 3,774.4
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Penn Flight School LLC
- Registered owner
- Penn Flight School LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 2019
- Departed
- UKT · Quakertown, PA
- Destination
- UKT · Quakertown, PA
- Airport
- UKT · Quakertown, runway 29, 3,210 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather, Angle of attack indicator
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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 34.5 total · 34.5 in this make and model · 0.5 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 10 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.31 inHg
- Observed at
- KUKT
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 27, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.2 MB in all.