On September 10, 1983, a Piper PA-38-12 (registration N2457N) was involved in an aviation accident near Louisville, KY. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout, which resulted in the aircraft veering off the runway and striking a sandbank. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a landing on a private airstrip with clear weather and calm winds, the aircraft drifted left before the pilot overcorrected with right rudder, causing the plane to veer right into a sandbank.
What happened
The aircraft was operating on a private airstrip under clear weather conditions with calm winds. The runway surface was dry and measured 75 feet in width. During the landing rollout, as the aircraft began to slow down, it started to drift toward the left side of the runway.
In response to this drift, the pilot applied right rudder input to correct the trajectory. However, this correction caused the aircraft to veer sharply to the right. As a result, the right wingtip struck a sandbank located adjacent to the runway edge.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout, which resulted in the aircraft veering off the runway and striking a sandbank.