N8203P

On October 23, 1997, at 1326 hours Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250, N8203P, veered off runway 24 during landing at Fullerton Municipal Airport, Fullerton, California. The aircraft was substantially damaged and the private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight which originated in Albuquerque, New Mexico, about 1000 MDT.

The pilot told the Safety Board that the flight was routine through landing touchdown. During rollout, the aircraft veered to the left and he was unable to keep the aircraft on the runway despite input of right rudder and brake control. On his report to the airport operations office, prepared on the day of the accident, the pilot described the incident as "loss control on roll out - felt gear or brake problem."

According to an inspector from the FAA's Long Beach Flight Standards District Office, tire skid marks on runway 24 made by the nose wheel and right main tires of the aircraft started about 1,000 feet from the landing threshold. Approximately 500 feet further along the runway, the left main tire mark became visible as the marks angled toward the left edge of the runway. The marks from the right and left main gear converged at the left edge of the runway approximately 200 feet further along the runway. Witnesses reported to the inspector that the aircraft came to rest approximately 25 feet into the grass area to the left of the runway, heading southeast.

There was a quartering left crosswind at 12 knots.