- Date
- February 13, 1988, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lovelock, NV
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N68915Piper Aerostar 602P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880213002489A
- Case key
- 40782
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
The non-multiengine rated pilot (left seat) executed a takeoff during which the aircraft developed a slight right drift. The pilot then attempted to utilize nose wheel steering to correct and a hard left swerve ensued resulting in a loss of directional control followed by the aircraft's departing the left side of the runway. The pilot had been led to believe by the accompanying flight instructor (right seat) that the use of nosewheel steering was acceptable during takeoff. The aircraft owner's manual stated that 'nosewheel steering is not recommended for takeoff since there is a tendency to oversteer the takeoff run'.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N68915
- Reported as
- Piper Aerostar 602P (AEROSTAR 6)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 62P088281650
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-AA1A, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Earl L. Price
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 30, 1987
- Destination
- APC · Napa, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LOL · Derby Field, runway 19, 5,530 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 10,200 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 90 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- WNC, 60 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.