LAX96LA129

The wind was variable from 040 to 070 degrees at 20 gusting 35 knots. The student pilot's instructor had endorsed her for repeated flights from Burbank to Santa Paula in winds of less that 15 knots, when landings could be made with a crosswind component of less that 5 knots. While practicing a short field landing on runway 4, student encountered a crosswind on final approach. She applied the necessary correction on final approach, but during the landing, the airplane went off the right side of the runway and struck a parked car. The student pilot said that the airplane did not experience any preimpact malfunction or failure.

On March 8, 1996, about 1151 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 152, N49048, collided with a parked truck while landing on runway 04 at the Santa Paula Airport, Santa Paula, California. The airplane, registered to and operated by a private individual, dba Pilot's Co-op, Burbank, California, sustained substantial damage. The student pilot was conducting a solo visual flight rules instructional flight and sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at Burbank Airport, Burbank, about 1030 hours.

A Santa Paula police officer said the airplane exited the right side of the runway and collided with the vehicle. The surface winds were variable between 040 and 070 degrees at 20 knots gusting to 35 knots. He said one witness reported that the pilot did not correct for the prevailing northeasterly winds and exited the runway (upwind) and struck the vehicle. Another witness told the officer that the airplane appeared to "weather vane" into the wind and the airplane landed on the right side (upwind) of the runway. After landing, the airplane continued on the dirt surface until it collided with the parked truck.

Two other pilot witnesses told the officer that the airplane's flaps were fully extended during the approach and that the airplane's speed was too slow. The airplane disappeared from their view before it crashed. They heard the impact and saw the resulting dust cloud.

The pilot said in the accident report that the airplane was aligned with the runway when a crosswind caused it to veer to the left. The pilot applied right wing down and left rudder. The pilot said that the next thing she could remember was that the airplane hit a truck that was parked in the vicinity of the runway.

The pilot indicated in the accident report that the airplane did not experience any preimpact malfunctions or failures.

The pilot's instructor told Safety Board investigators that she had endorsed the pilot for repeated solo flights from Burbank to Santa Paula. The endorsement contained a surface wind limitation of less than 15 knots and a crosswind component of 5 knots or less. The instructor also said that the student pilot was practicing short field landings.