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CEN25LA171

2025-05-05 · South Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport SGS

Current FAA registration · N7951W

Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-180
Year of manufacture
1964 · 61 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19641119
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AACD28

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s inadvertent brake application during the touchdown, that resulted in abnormal runway contact and a loss of directional control. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the student pilot during the landing.

Factual narrative

During the instructional flight, the airplane was landing to the runway with the student pilot operating the flight controls. Upon touchdown, the airplane “swerved hard to the left.” The flight instructor immediately announced, “my controls” and he attempted to maintain directional control. He reported the loss of directional control happened “so fast” and that he was unable to recover the airplane. After the accident, the student pilot reported that he “may have had his feet on the brakes” upon touchdown. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount, with a bend in a truss tube. The flight instructor reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor further reported that in the future, he will be having new student pilots announce, “heels on the floor” during the landing flare, to prevent inadvertent brake application. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Surface speed/braking-Incorrect use/operation
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring other person-Instructor/check pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_CEN25LA171.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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