NTSB CAROL · Event
Event NYC04CA094
Registry · N340PA
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-181
Year of manufacture
2002 · 2 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O-360 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20020531
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A3BE94
Registrant of record
VIDAL AVIATION LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing, and the CFI's delayed remedial action. A factor related to the accident was the gusting wind conditions.
Factual narrative
On March 25, 2004, at 1139 eastern standard time, a Piper PA-28-181, N340PA, was substantially damaged while landing at the Bowman Field (LOU), Louisville, Kentucky. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the CFI, as the student pilot was landing on runway 24, a 4,326-foot long, 80-foot wide asphalt runway; it began to drift to the right of the centerline. The CFI immediately took control of the airplane, lowered the nose, and added full power. Attempts by the CFI to correct the drift using rudder and aileron inputs were unsuccessful, and the airplane touched down on the right side of the runway. The airplane continued down the right side of the runway, where the right wing struck a taxiway identification sign. The CFI additionally stated that he did not experience any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The winds reported at the airport, at 1153, were from 200 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 18 knots. As the student pilot was landing on the 80-foot wide runway, it began to drift to the right of the centerline. The certified flight instructor (CFI) immediately took control of the airplane, lowered the nose, and added full power. Attempts by the CFI to correct the drift using rudder and aileron inputs were unsuccessful, and the airplane touched down on the right side of the runway. The airplane continued down the right side of the runway, where the right wing struck a taxiway identification sign. The CFI additionally stated that he did not experience any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. The winds reported at the airport, at 1153, were from 200 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 18 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2004_NYC04CA094.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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