Piper PA-32-301T N8243L

Summary

On 27 March 2005 at about 22:40 local time, a Piper PA-32-301T registered N8243L, operated by Meletios S. Berdelis, was involved in an accident near Long Beach, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 March 2005 at 22:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Long Beach, California, United States

Nearest airport

Long Beach (LGB)

Coordinates

33.8178, -118.1517

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-301T

Registration

N8243L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Meletios S. Berdelis

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Barbara → Long Beach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05LA126

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane veered off the runway and impacted signs during the landing rollout. The pilot reported that during the flight no mechanical malfunctions were experienced with his airplane, and he had performed a routine landing on runway 30. Within seconds after touchdown, the airplane veered left. The pilot attempted to straighten out the airplane's course, but he was not successful. The pilot also indicated that his loss of control surprised him, and his reaction time was slow. No vibration or shimmy was noted at any time during the landing rollout. Runway 30 is 10,000 feet long and 200 feet wide. At the time of the mishap, the surface wind was from 170 degrees at 5 knots. No other airplanes were in the area. The airplane's brake and steering systems were subsequently examined, and no evidence of any mechanical malfunction was found.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.