- Date
- February 5, 2011, 11:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Minden, NV
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2603YPiper PA-28-181
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20110205001059A
- Case key
- 78297
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 landing.
Findings · 2
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 student pilot was performing her first solo landing. During the landing roll, the airplane began to swerve right and left. The pilot attempted to apply corrective control inputs, but the airplane departed the runway and collided with a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and belly structure during the accident sequence. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was performing her first solo landing. During the landing roll, the airplane began to swerve from side-to-side. The pilot attempted to apply corrective control inputs, but the airplane departed the runway and collided with a ditch. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and belly structure during the accident sequence. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2603Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8690006
- Airframe hours
- 2,661
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 SER, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 4, 2010 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- MEV · Minden, NV
- Destination
- MEV · Minden, NV
- Airport
- MEV · Minden, runway 34, 7,400 × 100 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
- 17
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 20 total · 20 in this make and model · 19 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.38 inHg
- Observed at
- CXP, 12 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 28, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.7 MB 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.