NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN24LA016
Registry · N6605J
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-180
Year of manufacture
1968 · 55 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19680723
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A8B749
Registrant of record
PATTON JANET
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing with a tailwind.
Factual narrative
The student pilot was landing during a solo flight, and the airplane drifted to the left while between 100-200 ft above the runway. The student pilot initiated a go around. During the go around attempt, the main landing gear touched the ground; one wheel touched the runway surface, and the other wheel touched the grass adjacent to the runway. The right wing impacted the ground. The airplane departed the runway and came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The student pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The student pilot further reported that the surface wind, as observed at the windsock, had shifted to a tailwind during the flight. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Contributed to outcome
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2023_CEN24LA016.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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