Piper J4 accident near El Cajon, California, October 24, 2009
On October 24, 2009 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Piper J4, registered N24536, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near El Cajon, California (Gillispie Field). 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 left-seat pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 2009 · about 6:45 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- El Cajon, California · Gillispie Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J4 · all J4s on the register
- Registration
- N24536 · registry record · serial 4-635
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certified flight instructor who occupied the left pilot seat was conducting a flight review for the private pilot who occupied the right pilot seat. The airplane was equipped with brakes that were operated from the left pilot seat position only. After the landing was completed by the right-seat pilot the airplane began to veer to the left during the landing roll. The left-seat pilot then attempted to correct back to the right by applying right brake, which resulted in the airplane nosing over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its rudder. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane at the time of the accident. A Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector who examined the airplane reported no anomalies with the brakes 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private, sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 944 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 15,251 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 6, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne-Continental Motors C85-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEE El Cajon CA
- Destination: SEE El Cajon CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27R, 5,342 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:47 pm from SEE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on November 17, 2009. 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 |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N24536 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper J4 Cub Coupe 197 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,837 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Teledyne-Continental Motors C85-8 16 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Gillespie Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,713 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR10CA031.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.