- Date
- December 4, 2004, 10:03 local (18:03 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Monica, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N253FDPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 24, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20041204032289A
- Case key
- 60676
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 certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision, inadequate compensation for the tailwind condition, and delayed remedial action, which resulted in a runway overrun and collision with a ditch.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane overran the runway and collided with a ditch during landing. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student were on their last power-off approach. Approximately 2,500 feet down the 4,987-foot runway, the airplane continued to float. By the time it touched down, the CFI felt that it was too late to initiate a go-around procedure. The CFI applied the brakes, retracted the flaps, and turned the airplane to the right to avoid a ditch. An unedited surface weather observation (METAR) was issued for the airport about 20 minutes prior to the accident. The winds were reported from 070 degrees at 6 knots. The following METAR issued about 40 minutes following the accident reported winds from 100 degrees at 7 knots, with directional variations between 070 and 190 degrees. The CFI reported that she encountered no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.
Factual narrative
On December 4, 2004, at 1003 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-28-181, N253FD, collided with a ditch during landing on runway 21 at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport, Santa Monica, California. The privately owned airplane was being operated by Justice Aviation under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and the student pilot were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight that originated from the Santa Monica airport at 0830.
According to the CFI, she and the student were executing their last power-off approach. Approximately 2,500 feet down the runway, the airplane continued to float. By the time it touched down, the CFI felt that it was too late to initiate a go-around so she applied the brakes, retracted the flaps, and turned the airplane to the right to avoid a ditch. The CFI also noted that during the landing, the wind shifted to a tailwind, which was not to their advantage. The CFI reported that she encountered no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The main spar was damaged when the left landing gear went through the left wing.
According to the Airport/Facility Directory, Southwest U.S., runway 03/21 at the Santa Monica airport is 4,987 feet in length.
An unedited surface weather observation (METAR) was issued for Santa Monica at 0951. The winds were reported from 070 degrees at 6 knots. The following METAR issued at 1051 reported winds from 100 degrees at 7 knots, with directional variations between 070 and 190 degrees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N253FD
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-43321
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Justice Aviation
- Registered owner
- James Olson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- SMO · Santa Monica, CA
- Destination
- SMO · Santa Monica, CA
- Airport
- SMO · Santa Monica Municipal, runway 21, 4,987 × 150 ft, concrete
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 33
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Flight hours
- 1,953 total · 423 in this make and model · 109 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 70 total · 70 in this make and model · 12 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.