Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to maintained directional control during the aborted landing. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's total lack of experience in the type of airplane.
NTSB analysis
The student pilot completed a solo cross country flight and was landing at the destination airport when the airplane began to yaw "abruptly" to the left during roll out on runway 17 (3,900 feet by 75 feet, dry concrete). The winds were from 140 at 13 knots. The student pilot then attempted an aborted landing, but the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and impacted terrain. Substantial damage to the airplane included: buckled right wing spars, bent firewall, fuselage damage below the left windshield and side window, buckled empennage, and bent horizontal stabilizer.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CHI08CA142 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- May 29, 2008
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Grand Forks, North Dakota
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Piper PA-28-161
- N-number
- N220ND
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.