NTSB LAX90LA005 — 1989-10-07 · PASO ROBLES, California, United States

N2515T has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (NAVION NAVION H, built 1968), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

N2515T Piper PA-38-112 None

Probable cause & findings

THE STUDENT PILOT'S FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY COMPENSATE FOR THE CROSS WIND CONDITION.

Factual narrative

THE 44-HR STUDENT PILOT FAILED TO OBSERVE & UNDERSTAND THAT THE UNCONTROLLED ARPT'S 3 WINDSOCKS & WIND TEE WERE INDICATING THAT RWY 13 WAS FAVORABLE FOR LANDING. THE PILOT LANDED ON RWY 31, EXPERIENCED A RT QUARTERING TAILWIND, DRIFTED OFF THE LT SIDE OF THE RWY & NOSED OVER IN A PLOWED FIELD. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_LAX90LA005.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.