CEN12CA315

Factual narrative

The instructor and student pilot were practicing takeoffs and landings. On the second landing, when the airplane touched down, it veered sharply to the right. The instructor took control of the airplane and tried to stop the turn by applying full left rudder. She said the rudder peddle was too stiff and the airplane departed the side of the runway. The airplane struck a dirt berm and damaged the firewall and empennage. Examination of the airplane revealed there was a lot of debris and loose onjects in the airplane, but there was no physical evidence that the rudder pedals had been jammed or impeded. A functional test of the rudder pedals, brakes, and landing gear fork revealed no mechanical anomalies. The flight instructor and student pilot were practicing takeoffs and landings. They stated that on the second landing, when the airplane touched down, it veered sharply to the right. The instructor took control of the airplane and tried to stop the turn by applying full left rudder. She said that the rudder peddle was too stiff and that the airplane departed the side of the runway. The airplane struck a dirt berm and substantially damaged the firewall and empennage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed there were a lot of loose objects in the airplane, but there was no physical evidence that the rudder pedals had been jammed or impeded. Further examination revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot - C