NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX05LA126
Registry · N8243L
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-32-301T
Year of manufacture
1980 · 25 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING TI0-540 SER (310 hp)
Seats / Engines
7 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19800721
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB4283
Registrant of record
BERDELIS MELETIOS S
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On March 27, 2005, about 1440 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-32-301T, N8243L, veered off the runway during landing rollout at the Daugherty Field, Long Beach, California. The airplane overran three airport signs and was substantially damaged. The private pilot, who co-owned the airplane, was not injured during the personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and it originated from Santa Barbara, California, about 1345. The pilot indicated to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that no evidence of any mechanical malfunction was noted with his airplane during the takeoff or en route flight. Upon arriving at Long Beach, his home base airport, nothing unusual was noted. The pilot stated that he made a routine landing on runway 30. The airplane veered left within seconds after touchdown. The pilot reported that he tried to straighten out the airplane's course, but he was not successful. No vibration or shimmy was noted at any time during the landing rollout. The pilot additionally reported that he lost directional control, and the airplane exited the left side of the runway and impacted the signs. In the pilot's completed Aircraft Accident Report he indicated that during landing rollout he might have encountered a wind gust. He also indicated that the event surprised him and his reaction time was slow when a gust of wind steered the airplane to the left.
AIRPORT INFORMATION
Runway 30 is 10,000 feet long and 200 feet wide. Runway 25 intersects runway 30.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The pilot exited the airplane after coming to a stop on a taxiway adjacent to the runway. The pilot reported that the bottom portion of the airplane's left wing was lacerated in two locations. One of the lacerations started beneath the wing's leading edge, and it terminated near the wing's trailing edge. Also, the fuel tank was punctured.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
At 1453, Long Beach airport reported its wind was from 170 degrees at 5 knots. The sky condition was clear.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
At the direction of the Safety Board investigator, various airplane systems were examined by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airframe and powerplant mechanic. The mechanic reported that the landing gear, brake, and steering systems were functional. No mechanical malfunction or failures were found.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
According to Long Beach air traffic control tower personnel, no airplane landed on runway 30 during the 5 minutes preceding the accident. Also, no jet airplane landed on runway 25L during this period. The airplane veered off the runway and impacted signs during the landing rollout. The pilot reported that during the flight no mechanical malfunctions were experienced with his airplane, and he had performed a routine landing on runway 30. Within seconds after touchdown, the airplane veered left. The pilot attempted to straighten out the airplane's course, but he was not successful. The pilot also indicated that his loss of control surprised him, and his reaction time was slow. No vibration or shimmy was noted at any time during the landing rollout. Runway 30 is 10,000 feet long and 200 feet wide. At the time of the mishap, the surface wind was from 170 degrees at 5 knots. No other airplanes were in the area. The airplane's brake and steering systems were subsequently examined, and no evidence of any mechanical malfunction was found. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2005_LAX05LA126.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
A Scoping Review of Aviation Loss of Control Inflight Research
Loss of control – inflight (LOC-I) contributes to aircraft accidents at unacceptably high rates. Significant industry efforts and research have aimed to improve LOC-I prevention, detection, and recove…
- SKYbrary (Eurocontrol) 2024 · SKYbrary article
Loss of Control In-Flight (LOC-I) — SKYbrary Knowledge Base
SKYbrary comprehensive knowledge-base entry on Loss of Control In-Flight — definitions, contributing factors, accident case studies (Air France 447, Colgan 3407), and prevention strategies.
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2022 · Accident report
Loss of Control on Takeoff in Icing Conditions — Citation 560XL
Cessna Citation 560XL fatal takeoff icing accident, March 2018. Investigation of a Citation 560XL loss-of-control takeoff accident in icing conditions.
- Semantic Scholar 2021 · Article (Aviation)
ANALYSIS OF GENERAL AVIATION FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS INVOLVING INFLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL USING A STATE-BASED APPROACH
Inflight loss of control (LOC-I) is a significant cause of General Aviation (GA) fixed-wing aircraft accidents. The United States National Transportation Safety Board’s database provides a rich source…
- NASA NTRS 2021 · Presentation
Use of Design of Experiments in Determining Neural Network Architectures for Loss of Control Detection
Abstract—We describe empirical methods for selecting a neural network architecture to implement belief state inference on generic commercial transport aircraft.
- NASA NTRS 2021 · Conference Paper
Use of Design of Experiments in Determining Neural Network Architectures for Loss of Control Detection
We describe empirical methods for selecting a neural network architecture to implement belief state inference on generic commercial transport aircraft.
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