- Date
- March 13, 2020, 12:10 local (19:10 UTC)
- Place
- Tucson, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N15756Piper PA 28-180
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 27, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20200313004489A
- Case key
- 101241
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 student pilot's loss of directional control during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion, collision with a pole, and a subsequent ground loop.
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 solo student pilot reported that, after touchdown, she applied too much right rudder and then overcorrected by applying too much left rudder. The airplane then veered left and exited the runway. The right wing struck a windsock pole, crossed a ditch, and ground looped before coming to a stop upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, engine mount, and the left forward side of the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The solo student pilot reported that after touchdown, the airplane veered slightly to the right. She overcorrected with the left rudder control and lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane veered to the left and exited the runway. The right wing struck the windsock pole, crossed a ditch, and ground looped before coming to a stop upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, engine mount, and the left forward side of the fuselage. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15756
- Reported as
- Piper PA 28-180 (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7305135
- Built
- 1972
- Airframe hours
- 4,430
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 26, 2019
- Departed
- RYN · Tucson, AZ
- Destination
- RYN · Tucson, AZ
- Airport
- RYN · Ryan Field, runway 24L, 5,500 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 37.5 total · 30.1 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- KTUS, 11 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 26, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.4 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.