Piper PA28 accident near Chino, California, December 12, 2018
On December 12, 2018 at about 7:15 pm local time, a 1968 Piper PA28, registered N5800U, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Chino, California (Chino airport). It was an instructional 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 flight instructor's failure to maintain directional control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 12, 2018 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Chino, California · Chino · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 140, built 1968 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N5800U · no longer on the register · serial 28-23502
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, during landing, he was on the flight controls while the student pilot flew the airplane. During the touchdown, the airplane was right of the centerline, and the student either added left brake or left rudder, and the airplane entered a skid. The instructor then added full right rudder, but the airplane exited the runway to the left and struck a runway sign. Subsequently, the airplane came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during landing
- Loss of control on ground during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Contributed to outcome
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 320.6 hours in all; 16.2 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 32.7 in the last 30 days; 240.3 as pilot in command; 35.9 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 5, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 6 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,810 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 20, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 11,810 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CNO Chino CA at 6:00 pm
- Destination: CNO Chino CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26R, 4,858 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KCNO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 21, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Picture | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N5800U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.