- Date
- January 4, 2015, 10:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Sedona, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3811MPiper PA 28R-200
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 7, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20150104000259A
- Case key
- 90566
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.
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 pilot departed his local airport for a personal cross-country flight. The runway at the landing airport was oriented north/south. The pilot stated that the weather at the time of his arrival was clear with calm wind, and that under those conditions aircraft generally land and takeoff to the north since the runway slopes upward in that direction. However, that day, aircraft in the traffic pattern were landing and taking off to the south. The pilot made a decision to follow the direction of prevailing traffic, flying and landing to the south. After landing, he applied the brakes to compensate for the sloped terrain. At the same time, the left wheel rolled over unidentified debris on the runway, which caused the pilot to lose directional control. The airplane veered off the left side of the runway, sustaining substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot departed his local airport for a personal cross-country flight. The runway at the landing airport was oriented north/south. The pilot stated that the weather at the time of his arrival was clear with calm wind, and that under those conditions aircraft generally land and takeoff to the north since the runway slopes upward in that direction. However, that day, aircraft in the traffic pattern were landing and taking off to the south. The pilot made a decision to follow the direction of prevailing traffic, flying and landing to the south. After landing, he applied the brakes to compensate for the sloped terrain. At the same time, the left wheel rolled over unidentified debris on the runway, which caused the pilot to lose directional control. The airplane veered off the left side of the runway, sustaining substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3811M
- Reported as
- Piper PA 28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-35200
- Built
- 1969
- Airframe hours
- 5,058.66
- Engine
- Lycoming IO360 SER, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- D I V A 1336 LLC
- Registered owner
- D I V A 1336 LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 15, 2014
- Departed
- FFZ · Mesa, AZ
- Destination
- SEZ · Sedona, AZ
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- SEZ · Sedona, runway 21, 5,132 × 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 28, 2014
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 345.7 total · 66.5 in this make and model · 7.3 in the last 90 days · 7.3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.39 inHg
- Icing
- Unknown
- Observed at
- SEZ
Docket · 10
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 2, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.2 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.