Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On September 8, 2002, about 1830 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N6947W, was substantially damaged while landing at the Titusville Airport, Titusville, Pennsylvania. The certificated student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the student pilot, she performed five uneventful practice landings to runway 36, a 4,902 foot-long, 75 foot-wide, asphalt runway. During the sixth landing attempt, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway and traveled through a ditch, before it came to rest.
A witness at the airport stated that the touchdown seemed normal; however after a "short roll, the airplane appeared to go sideways..."
Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any pre-impact malfunctions; nor did the student pilot report any.
The student pilot reported 65 hours of total flight experience, all in make and model.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# NYC02LA189