Casualties unknown

1988-08-27: Piper PA-38-112 (N2445N) — Kupper Aero Sales,inc. — Manville, NJ

Manville, NJ, US

On August 27, 1988, a Piper PA-38-112 (registration N2445N) operated by Kupper Aero Sales,inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Manville, NJ. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.

Sourcesthe U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archivePrimary reportUpdated 1781061362Data APIEditorial standards

A student pilot on his first solo flight made a nose-wheel-first landing, causing nose wheel steering linkage failure. On the subsequent landing, the cocked nose wheel led to a runway excursion, shearing the nose gear and damaging the aircraft.

Sequence of Events

A student pilot completed six landings under the supervision of an instructor. After these practice landings, the instructor released the student for his first solo flight, which was to consist of a series of closed-pattern touch-and-go landings.

During the first landing of the solo flight, the student landed with the nose wheel first and at a high sink rate. This hard landing caused the nose wheel steering linkage to fail.

On the second landing, the nose wheel was cocked 90 degrees to the right. Upon touchdown, the aircraft departed the runway to the right. The departure resulted in shearing of the nose gear and damage to the propeller, engine mounts, firewall, and underside longitudinal stringers.

Damage Assessment

The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The nose gear was sheared off, and the propeller, engine mounts, firewall, and underside longitudinal stringers were all damaged.

Injuries

No injuries were reported in the source material.

Investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive. Original record: https://carol.ntsb.gov/event/20001213X26699. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), United States.