- Date
- March 23, 1991, 09:16 local (14:16 UTC)
- Place
- Melbourne, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N440FTPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910323007309A
- Case key
- 32837
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 loss of control on the ground by the student pilot due to a lack of total experience and apprehension on his first solo flight.
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 added throttle on a supervised solo flight and stated he lost control of the airplane on the ground. The airplane exited the runway and collided with a ditch.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N440FT
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8216219
- Airframe hours
- 6,348
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Fla. Institute Of Technology
- Registered owner
- Fla. Institute Of Technology
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 11, 1991 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- MLB · Melbourne, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- MLB · Melbourne, runway 22, 3,002 × 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
- 19
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 20 total · 20 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MLB, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.