- Date
- April 7, 1988, 20:00 local (Apr 8, 1988, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Smith, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N31900Piper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report July 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880407009789A
- Case key
- 34557
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
Immediately after takeoff, the student pilot performing his first supervised solo flight, said the aircraft began a left turn. He said the rudder pedals felt inoperative. He reduced power and landed adjacent the runway substantially damaging the acft. Subsequent inspection revealed no control malfunction, nor lack of continuity of the control systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31900
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 287816592
- Airframe hours
- 2,722
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Grady Stone Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Departed
- FSM · Fort Smith, AR
- Destination
- FSM
- Airport
- FSM · Ft. Smith Muni, runway 25, 8,000 × 150 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
- 27
- Certificate
- Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 14 total · 7 in this make and model · 7 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FSM, 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.