Piper PA-28 Cherokee Veers Off Runway During Student Solo Training at Wonderboom Aerodrome (ZS-CZU)

Incident Overview On the morning of 14 September 2021, a Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee with registration ZS-CZU was conducting solo circuit training at Wonderboom Aerodrome (FAWB) in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The aircraft was operated by a 19-year-old student pilot holding a Student Pilot Licence (SPL) for aeroplanes. ## Sequence of Events The student pilot completed the first touch-and-go exercise on Runway 11 without incident. During the second touch-and-go on the same runway, the pilot lost directional control, causing the aircraft to veer off to the left side of the runway. The pilot managed to stop the aircraft approximately 400 metres from the runway threshold. ## Weather and Operational Conditions Fine weather conditions prevailed at the time of the incident. The surface wind was 3 knots, and the temperature was 27°C. No flight plan was filed for the training exercise. ## Aircraft and Maintenance Status The aircraft had accumulated 3,385.6 total hours at the time of the incident. Examination of the flight folio revealed no outstanding defects related to the steering mechanism. The last Mandatory Periodic Inspection (MPI) was conducted on 19 August 2021 at 3,597.80 hours. By the time of the incident, the aircraft had reached 3,640.95 hours, representing 43.15 hours since the last MPI. The last maintenance was performed by an appropriately licensed aircraft maintenance engineer at an approved organisation. ## Probable Cause The investigation concluded that the student pilot likely landed hard and lost directional control, resulting in the aircraft veering off the left side of the runway. ## Safety Actions No specific safety actions or messages were issued as a result of this limited serious incident investigation.