- Date
- August 2, 2008, 17:00 local (Aug 3, 2008, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Grass Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7635KPiper PA-20
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080802848599A
- Case key
- 68595
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 maintain directional control due to his foot slipping off one rudder pedal while braking.
Findings · 2
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 pilot reported that he made a wheel landing on the runway. He lowered the tail and started to apply the brakes when his right foot slipped off the rudder pedal. The plane veered left and he applied full left brake to avoid nosing into a drainage ditch head first. During this turn the tail wheel struck a boulder and the right wing tipped down and struck the ground.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he made a wheel landing at Grass Valley's runway 25. He dropped the tail and started to apply the brakes when his right foot slipped off the rudder pedal, he was wearing cowboy boots. The plane veered left and he applied full left brake to avoid nosing into a drainage ditch head first. During this turn the tail wheel struck a boulder and the right wing tipped down and struck the ground.
The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7635K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-454
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John A. Grimes
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 4CA2 · Brentwood, CA
- Destination
- KGOO · Grass Valley, CA
- Airport
- KGOO · Grass Valley, runway 25, 4,350 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 404 total · 183 in this make and model · 22 in the last 90 days · 15 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.
Other investigations on N7635K · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.