On 24 Oct 2009, a PIPER PA18 A150 operated by Chandler Air Service Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Chandler, AZ. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
While landing, a student pilot corrected for a right drift with left rudder, but after touchdown the airplane entered a 270-degree left turn and came to a stop off the runway, damaging the right wing.
Incident Overview
A student pilot reported that during the landing approach, the airplane began to drift to the right. In response, the student applied left rudder to correct the drift. As the airplane touched down, it unexpectedly entered a left turn. According to the pilot, the turn continued through 270 degrees before the airplane came to a stop just off the runway surface.
Damage and Mechanical Status
A post-accident examination revealed that the right wing had sustained substantial damage as a result of impact with the terrain. The student pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident.
Pilot Statement
In describing the sequence of events, the student pilot stated: "As the plane touched down it entered a left turn and continued for 270 degrees before coming to a stop just off the runway." The pilot did not report any other anomalies or contributing factors.
Contributing factors
Directional control — Not attained/maintainedStudent pilot