LAX02LA021

After landing on the 6,799-foot-long by 150-foot-wide runway, the aircraft veered to the right into soft sand and nosed over. The student pilot reported the landing was a good landing on the main landing gear. She lowered the nosewheel to the runway and was rolling smoothly when the aircraft suddenly veered to the right. She input left rudder but was unable to stop the aircraft from veering off the runway into soft sand where it rolled about 150 feet and nosed over. The pilot suspected an unseen dust devil may have been involved. An automated weather observation, 16 minutes before the accident, reported a left-rear, quartering surface wind at 4 knots. Forty-four minutes after the accident the surface wind was a left crosswind at 3 knots.

On November 6, 2001, at 1010 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 182S, N2453A, veered off the runway and nosed over during a touch-and-go landing at the Desert Resorts Regional Airport, Palm Springs, California. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The local area, instructional flight originated at 1000, and was operated by the owner under 14 CFR Part 91. VFR conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.

The pilot told the Safety Board investigator that the accident occurred on her second touch-and-go landing on runway 35 (6,799 feet long x 150 feet wide). She reported the landing was a good landing on the main landing gear. She lowered the nosewheel to the runway and was rolling smoothly when the aircraft suddenly veered to the right. She input left rudder but was unable to stop the aircraft from veering off the runway into soft sand where it nosed over. She suspected an unseen dust devil may have been involved.

An automated weather observation, 16 minutes before the accident, reported the surface wind was from 220 degrees at 4 knots. Forty-four minutes after the accident the surface wind was reported from 280 degrees at 3 knots.