- Date
- April 7, 2008, 16:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- Vero Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9233XPiper PA-28-161
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080407837439A
- Case key
- 67773
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 loss of directional control on landing. Contributing to the accident was the crosswind and wind gusts.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The solo student pilot of the PA-28 was practicing at his home airport when, just after touchdown, the airplane veered off the runway and encountered a ditch. The tower-controlled airport was configured with two parallel runways and one intersecting runway. About 41 minutes prior to the accident, the recorded winds were 020 degrees at 10 knots, and the tower was directing traffic to use runways 11R and 11L. During the first landing rollout, the pilot opted to perform a touch and go instead of a full stop, due to his concerns about the winds, and his ability to control the airplane on the ground. His second approach to the same runway resulted in a go-around, again due to the winds. On the third approach, the airplane bounced, veered off the left side of the runway, encountered a ditch, and stopped. The recorded winds 13 minutes after the accident were from 350 degrees at 13 knots, with gusts to 17 knots. Subsequent to the accident, the pilot stated that he was uncomfortable with the wind and runway combination, but that he lacked the confidence to challenge the tower's runway selection. Shortly after the accident, the control tower switched operations to the single runway to align traffic with the prevailing wind.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot of the PA-28 was practicing at his home airport when, just after touchdown, the airplane veered off the runway and encountered a ditch. The tower-controlled airport was configured with two parallel runways and one intersecting runway. About 41 minutes prior to the accident, the recorded winds were 020 degrees at 10 knots, and the tower was directing traffic to use runways 11R and 11L. During the first landing rollout, the pilot opted to perform a touch and go instead of a full stop, due to his concerns about the winds, and his ability to control the airplane on the ground. His second approach to the same runway resulted in a go-around, again due to the winds. On the third approach, the airplane bounced, veered off the left side of the runway, encountered a ditch, and stopped. The recorded winds 13 minutes after the accident were from 350 degrees at 13 knots, with gusts to 17 knots. Subsequent to the accident, the pilot stated that he was uncomfortable with the wind and runway combination, but that he lacked the confidence to challenge the tower's runway selection. Shortly after the accident, the control tower switched operations to the single runway to align traffic with the prevailing wind.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9233X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2841095
- Airframe hours
- 11,007
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- FlightSafety Academy, doing business as FlightSafety Academy
- Registered owner
- FlightSafety International
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · March 1, 2008
- Departed
- VRB · Vero Beach, FL
- Destination
- VRB · Vero Beach, FL
- Airport
- VRB · Vero Beach Municipal, runway 11L, 3,405 × 75 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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 44 total · 44 in this make and model · 6 as pilot in command · 44 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 13 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.