CEN10CA221
2010-04-19 · West Chicago, Illinois, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport DPA
Current FAA registration · N7748P
- Make / Model
- PIPER PA-24-250
- Year of manufacture
- 1961 · 49 years old at event
- Engine
- LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES (250 hp)
- Seats / Engines
- 4 seats · 1 engine
- Last airworthiness date
- 19611215
- ADS-B equipped
- Yes — Mode-S AA7B61
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing.
Factual narrative
The student pilot stated in a telephone interview that he had performed 7 or 8 solo landings on the same day on the same runway. He said that when the accident happened he was performing a touch and go and had touched down in the first third of the runway on the main landing wheels. When the airplane's nose was lowered and the nose landing gear contacted the ground, the airplane turned toward the right side of the runway. The pilot reported that he attempted to correct with aileron and rudder inputs but did not use the airplane's brakes. The airplane continued off of the paved runway and struck two runway lights and a taxiway sign. The pilot stated that he continued across the grass area and stopped the airplane on the adjacent taxiway. He then taxied the airplane to the ramp. No pre-impact damage was found with regard to the airplane's landing gear, nose wheel steering system, or braking system. The student pilot stated in a telephone interview that he had performed 7 or 8 solo landings on the same day on the same runway. He said that when the accident happened he was performing a touch-and-go and had touched down on the first third of the runway on the main landing wheels. When the airplane's nose was lowered and the nose landing gear contacted the ground, the airplane turned toward the right side of the runway. The pilot reported that he attempted to correct with aileron and rudder inputs, but did not use the airplane's brakes. The airplane continued off of the paved runway and struck two runway lights and a taxiway sign. The pilot stated that he continued across the grass area and stopped the airplane on the adjacent taxiway. He then taxied the airplane to the ramp. No pre-impact damage was found with regard to the airplane's landing gear, nose wheel steering system, or braking system. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2010_CEN10CA221.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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