- Date
- June 29, 1995, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Thermal, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7658WPiper PA-28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 30, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950629016699A
- Case key
- 29143
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 failure to maintain directional control while executing a touch-and-go.
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 student pilot stated that while landing during his 14th touch-and-go, the airplane veered to the left and he could not regain directional control. The airplane's ground speed was below 50 knots and the student pilot decided that a go-around was unsafe. The airplane continued to the left off the runway and into the dirt. Damage to the nose gear, firewall, and right wing spar resulted. The student pilot had logged 75 total hours, with 10 of those hours being solo. No mechanical problems were reported by the student pilot.
Factual narrative
On June 29, 1995, at 1500 hours Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, N7658W, veered off the runway following a loss of control while executing a touch-and-go at Thermal Airport, Thermal, California. The airplane was substantially damaged and the student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at Palm Springs, California, on the day of the accident at 1330 as a local area solo instructional operation.
In his written report, the student pilot stated that while landing during his 14th touch-and-go on runway 12, the airplane veered to the left and he could not regain directional control. The airplane's ground speed was below 50 knots and the student pilot decided that a go-around was unsafe. The airplane continued to skid to the left into the dirt. Damage to the nose gear, firewall, and right wing spar resulted. The student pilot had logged 65 total hours, with 10 of those hours being solo. No mechanical problems were reported by the student pilot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7658W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-1558
- Airframe hours
- 2,914
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A3A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas Sidenfaden
- Registered owner
- Bill Linda Howell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 22, 1995 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- PSP · Palm Springs, CA
- Destination
- TRM · CA
- Airport
- TRM · Thermal Airport, runway 12, 4,993 × 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
- 53
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 75 total · 43 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 108 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TRM
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 N7658W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.