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Atlas / NTSB / LAX00LA094

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event LAX00LA094

2000-02-05 HONOLULU, Hawaii, United States Airport · HNL None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N140ND

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER PA-28-161

Year of manufacture

1989 · 11 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19890822

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A0A3E0

Registrant of record

COCO AIRCRAFT INC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's improper use of the brakes during the landing rollout. The pilot's self induced pressure and the quartering tailwind were factors in the accident.

Factual narrative

On February 5, 2000, at 1620 hours Hawaiian standard time, a Piper PA-28-161, N140ND, drifted off runway 4L and collided with runway signs while landing at the Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu, Hawaii. The aircraft was owned and operated by the University of North Dakota, and was on a student solo cross-country instructional flight under 14 CFR Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The student pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight originated at Honolulu on the morning of the accident as a round robin cross-country flight with en route stops at Molokai and Lanai, Hawaii. At the time of the pilot's approach and landing the winds were from 170 degrees at 8 knots. The pilot reported that the local controller instructed her to make a short approach for following traffic. She said that while the landing was long and she felt "rushed by the short approach request," the touchdown and initial landing ground roll was normal. Near the intersection of taxiway E as she began applying brakes, the airplane suddenly turned right and ran off the side of the runway. The pilot reported that she was afraid to apply left brake because the airplane "might tip over." As the airplane left the pavement, the left wing hit runway signs. The pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane and the operator's maintenance department found no discrepancies during the repair process. At the time of the pilot's approach and landing on runway 4L the winds were from 170 degrees at 8 knots. The pilot reported that the local controller instructed her to make a short approach for following traffic. She said that while the landing was long and she felt "rushed by the short approach request," the touchdown and initial landing ground roll was normal. Near the intersection of taxiway E as she began applying brakes, the airplane suddenly turned right and ran off the side of the runway. The pilot reported that she was afraid to apply left brake because the airplane "might tip over." As the airplane left the pavement, the left wing hit runway signs. The pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane and the operator's maintenance department found no discrepancies during the repair process. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2000_LAX00LA094.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

What the literature says.

Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (maintenance). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.

Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗