- Date
- October 22, 2013, 14:10 local (21:10 UTC)
- Place
- Watsonville, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N137LMTecnam P92
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20131022022629A
- Case key
- 88313
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 failure to maintain directional control during landing.
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 while in the traffic pattern, the airplane's right rudder stopped responding. She aligned the airplane with the runway for landing and touched down long. During the landing roll, the pilot lost directional control and the airplane departed the runway, and continued through the grass and dirt for about 500 feet. The front main landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to a stop on its nose. The engine's firewall and the tube frame behind the firewall were substantially damaged. A postaccident examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that while in the traffic pattern, the airplane's right rudder stopped responding. She aligned the airplane with the runway for landing and touched down long. During the landing roll, the pilot lost directional control and the airplane departed the runway, and continued through the grass and dirt for about 500 feet. The front main landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to a stop on its nose. The engine's firewall and the tube frame behind the firewall were substantially damaged. A postaccident examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N137LM
- Reported as
- Tecnam P92 (EA)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1252
- Built
- 2009
- Airframe hours
- 1,338
- Engine
- Rotax 912 ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ocean Air Flight Services, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Gryphon Aire LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 5, 2013
- Departed
- WVI · Watsonville, CA
- Destination
- WVI · Watsonville, CA
- Airport
- WVI · Watsonville Municipal Arpt, runway 20, 4,501 × 149 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 80
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot, Unknown
- Last flight review
- March 25, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 220 total · 40 in this make and model · 160 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- WVI
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 25, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.4 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.