- Date
- January 8, 2010, 07:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Apple Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N29285Piper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 12, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration Riverside FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100108025929A
- Case key
- 75252
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 pilot's loss of directional control during the landing roll and the check airman’s delayed remedial response.
Findings · 3
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 pilot reported that he completed five touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. During the last landing rollout, the airplane was traveling about 5 knots when it began to veer to the right. The pilot tried to correct by applying left rudder and left brake. The airplane continued drifting to the right and the check airman applied left brake. The airplane subsequently departed the runway and collided with a taxiway sign. The right main gear folded and the wing and aileron sustained substantial damage. During a postaccident examination of the airplane no mechanical anomalies with the brakes or other airplane systems were found.
Factual narrative
On January 8, 2010, about 0700 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-28-181, N29285, veered off the runway and collided with a sign at Apple Valley, California. Midfield Aviation was operating the rental airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The certificated private pilot and a certified flight instructor (CFI) check pilot were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and aileron. The local instructional flight departed Apple Valley about 0600. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot completed five touch-and-go landings on runway 18. The airplane was going about 5 knots on the last landing rollout when it began to veer to the right. The pilot tried to correct with the left rudder and left brake. The airplane continued drifting to the right, and the check airman applied left brake. The airplane departed the runway and collided with a taxiway sign. The right main gear folded; the wing and aileron sustained substantial damage. The owner of the airplane was a Federal Aviation Administration certified Airframe and Powerplant mechanic. He examined the airplane after the accident, and completed the repairs. He stated that he discovered no mechanical anomalies with the brakes or other airplane systems during the repair.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29285
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7990446
- Airframe hours
- 10,084
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Patrick Zrelak, doing business as Midfield Aviation
- Registered owner
- Patrick Zrelak
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 27, 2009 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- APV · Apple Valley, CA
- Destination
- APV · Apple Valley, CA
- Airport
- APV · Apple Valley, runway 18, 6,498 × 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 17, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 82 total · 1 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Check pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 11, 2009
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 500 in this make and model · 1,100 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- KVCV, 10 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 1, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 570 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.