LAX95LA018

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA-28-181 · Rialto, CA · October 20, 1994

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
October 20, 1994, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
Place
Rialto, CA
Injuries
4 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N8760FPiper PA-28-181
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report May 16, 1995
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19941020038059A
Case key
28969

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

the flight instructor's loss of airplane control during the landing flare as a result of his inadequate supervision of the flight and delayed corrective action over his presolo student's control inputs.

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.

Loss of control - in flightLanding - flare/touchdown
Flare - excessiveDual student
Supervision - inadequatePilot in command(cfi)Cause
Remedial action - delayedPilot in command(cfi)Cause
Aircraft control - not maintainedPilot in command(cfi)Cause
Ground loop/swerve - inadvertentPilot in command(cfi)
On ground/water encounter with terrain/waterLanding - roll
Terrain condition - open field

Analysis

The flight instructor (CFI) reported that during the accident flight he was trying to teach his presolo student how to perform a forward slip and landing. The CFI indicated that the student initiated the assigned slip, and the airplane descended toward runway 24. During the approach, the CFI applied corrections to the amount of pitch his student was using, and at times he also made corrections to the flight path. When the student initiated the landing flare, he pulled the yoke up 'fast and a little high,' and the airplane started drifting left. The CFI stated that between 3 and 5 seconds before touchdown, he took the controls from his student and initiated corrective action. The airplane, however, touched down hard several feet left of the runway centerline, and he lost control of it. The airplane veered off the 4,500-foot-long by 100-foot-wide runway and came to rest on a northeasterly heading in an open field of weeds. Neither the CFI nor the student reported having experienced any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.

Factual narrative

On October 20, 1994, at 1500 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA- 28-181, N8760F, operated by the California International School of Aviation, collided with rough terrain adjacent to the Rialto Municipal (uncontrolled) Airport, Rialto, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the instructional flight. The airplane was substantially damaged, and none of the four occupants were injured. The crew consisted of a flight instructor (CFI), who held a commercial pilot certificate, and a student pilot. The flight originated from Pomona, California, at 1350.

The CFI reported that during the accident flight he was, in part, attempting to teach his presolo student how to land the airplane. When the accident occurred, the CFI was specifically trying to instruct the student in performing a forward slip to a landing.

According to the CFI, his student initiated the slip as he had instructed, and the airplane descended. During the approach, the CFI applied corrections to the amount of pitch his student was using, and at times he also made corrections to the flight path. The student initiated the landing flare by pulling the yoke up "fast and a little high," and the airplane started drifting left.

The CFI also reported that, between 3 and 5 seconds before touchdown, he took the controls from his student and initiated corrective action; however, the airplane touched down hard several feet left of the runway centerline, and he lost control of it. The airplane veered off the runway and came to rest on a northeasterly heading in a field of weeds.

Neither the CFI nor the student reported having experienced any mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Runway 06/24 at Rialto airport was 4,500 feet long and 100 feet wide.

Aircraft

Registration
N8760F
Reported as
Piper PA-28-181
Category
Airplane
Serial number
28-7790264
Engine
Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional · Part 91
Operator
Calif Intl. School Of Aviation
Registered owner
Wind Aviation, Inc.
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Provisional (Special); Standard, Normal
Departed
POC · Bracket Field, CA
Airport
L67 · Rialto Municipal, runway 24, 4,500 × 100 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
24
Certificates
Commercial, Foreign, Flight instructor
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Right
Flight hours
812 total · 400 in this make and model · 735 as pilot in command · 83 in the last 90 days · 33 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
240° at 12 knots
Visibility
25 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
75 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.