CHI05CA105

Factual narrative

On April 25, 2005, at 1615 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-161, N2833F, operated by the Lansing Community College, sustained substantial damage when it veered off the left side of runway 27L (8,412 feet by 150 feet, asphalt) at the South Bend Regional Airport (SBN), South Bend, Indiana, and hit the wind sock with its left wing. The solo student pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 instructional cross-country flight departed Muskegon, Michigan, at an unknown time. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. A visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed. The student pilot reported that he "taxied onto the runway for departure and the airplane began to pull to the left. I then added more correction but couldn't prevent the aircraft from going off the runway. The left wing hit the wind sock and then the plane came to a rest." The student pilot had a total of 58 hours of flight time with 9.9 hours as pilot in command. The observed surface winds at SBN at 1554 were 240 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The airplane sustained substantial damage when it veered off the left side of runway 27 and hit the wind sock with its left wing. The solo student pilot, who was on an instructional cross-country flight, was not injured. The student pilot reported that he "taxied onto the runway for departure and the airplane began to pull to the left. I then added more correction but couldn't prevent the aircraft from going off the runway. The left wing hit the wind sock and then the plane came to a rest." The student pilot had a total of 58 hours of flight time with 9.9 hours as pilot in command. The observed surface winds at 1554 were 240 degrees at 15 knots, gusting to 21 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12