Piper PA28 N7951W

Summary

On 5 May 2025 at about 22:55 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N7951W was involved in an accident near South Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. 2 people were 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

5 May 2025 at 22:55

Classification

Accident

Location

South Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

South St Paul Muni/Richard E F (SGS)

Coordinates

44.8616, -93.0349

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N7951W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA171

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s inadvertent brake application during the touchdown, that resulted in abnormal runway contact and a loss of directional control. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the student pilot during the landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the instructional flight, the airplane was landing to the runway with the student pilot operating the flight controls. Upon touchdown, the airplane “swerved hard to the left.” The flight instructor immediately announced, “my controls” and he attempted to maintain directional control. He reported the loss of directional control happened “so fast” and that he was unable to recover the airplane. After the accident, the student pilot reported that he “may have had his feet on the brakes” upon touchdown. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engine mount, with a bend in a truss tube. The flight instructor reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor further reported that in the future, he will be having new student pilots announce, “heels on the floor” during the landing flare, to prevent inadvertent brake application.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.