Piper PA-30 accident near Galveston, Texas, March 16, 2004
On March 16, 2004 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N572AS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Galveston, Texas (Scholes International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. A factor was the pilot's failure to evaluate the wind, prior to landing downwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 2004 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Galveston, Texas · Scholes International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N572AS · no longer on the register · serial 30-620
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The twin-engine airplane skidded off the runway 31 following a loss of directional control while landing downwind. The 580-hour pilot reported that the final approach was "normal." As the aircraft touched down on Runway 31, the main landing gear hit first, followed by the nose landing gear. After the nose wheel touched-down, the airplane immediately began to feel "squirrelly," and the inputs to the rudder "seemed" to be ineffective. The pilot stated that the brakes "locked up." The aircraft slid for approximately 350 feet and veered off the right side of the runway into an embankment. The winds at the airport at the time of the accident were reported from 130 degrees at 7 knots. Flight control continuity was established and no anomalies were found with the airframe.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 580 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 500 as pilot in command; 85 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GLS Galveston TX at 3:45 pm
- Destination: GLS Galveston TX
- Runway 31, 6,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 pm from GLS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.