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GAA19CA508

2019-08-22 · Hemet, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport HMT

Current FAA registration · N16435

Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-180
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19730202
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A10369

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while attempting to go around, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with a ditch.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that the airplane landed hard on the left side of the runway. He added right rudder, but the airplane did not respond quick enough, so he added power to perform a go around. The airplane exited the runway to the left, impacted a ditch, and the nose landing gear collapsed. He added that, after the accident, his instructor told him he could have used the right brake to aid in directional control. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that the airplane landed hard on the left side of the runway. He added right rudder, but the airplane did not respond quickly enough, so he added power to perform a go-around. The airplane then exited the runway to the left, impacted a ditch, and the nose landing gear collapsed. The student added that, after the accident, his instructor told him he could have used the right brake to aid in directional control. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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-Student/instructed pilot - C
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2019_GAA19CA508.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion, go-around). All research papers