- Date
- December 20, 2007, 08:20 local (13:20 UTC)
- Place
- Blue Bell, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4814LPiper PA28-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Philadelphia, PA
- FAA report
- 20071220831279A
- Case key
- 67286
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 landing.
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 solo student pilot of the Piper PA28 stated that he applied left rudder to compensate for a "slight" left crosswind while on approach to land on Runway 06. At touchdown, having "never let off left rudder," the airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck a culvert and two signs. A post flight inspection revealed damage to the propeller, nose landing gear, and firewall. The student pilot reported 78 total hours of flight experience, 31 hours in make and model, and reported no deficiencies with the performance and handling of the airplane. At the time of the accident, the winds reported at the airport were from 280 degrees at 3 knots.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot of the Piper PA28-180, stated that he applied left rudder to compensate for a "slight" left crosswind while on approach to land on Runway 06. At touchdown, having "never let off left rudder," the airplane departed the left side of the runway and struck a culvert and two signs. A post flight inspection revealed damage to the propeller, nose landing gear, and firewall. The student pilot reported 78 total hours of flight experience, 31 hours in make and model, and reported no deficiencies with the performance and handling of the airplane. At the time of the accident, the winds reported at the airport were from 280 degrees at 3 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4814L
- Reported as
- Piper PA28-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-4154
- Airframe hours
- 3,075
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Norman M. McAvoy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2007 · 79 hours before
- Departed
- KLOM · Blue Bell, PA
- Destination
- KLOM
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- LOM · Wings Field, runway 6
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 78 total · 31 in this make and model · 31 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- KLOM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.