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WPR12CA368

2012-08-21 · McMinnville, Oregon, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MMV

Current FAA registration · N8154N

Make / Model
PIPER PA-28-140
Year of manufacture
1968 · 44 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB1EE0

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s loss of directional control during the takeoff roll, which resulted in a runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll he attempted to close a window vent and veered off the left side of the runway. He aborted the takeoff and taxied back for takeoff; he examined the airplane prior to takeoff and did not see any damage. After landing he secured the airplane in the club hangar. On August 25th during a flying club meeting the pilot observed damage to the lower section of the right wing and subsequent examination revealed substantial damage to the wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane prior to the runway excursion. The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, he attempted to close a window vent and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway. He aborted the takeoff and taxied back for takeoff; he examined the airplane before takeoff and did not see any damage. After landing, he secured the airplane in the club hangar. During a flying club meeting 4 days later, the pilot observed damage to the right wing; subsequent examination revealed substantial damage to the wing spar. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane before the runway excursion. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_WPR12CA368.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). All research papers