This is an excerpt from a report made to the Aviation Safety Reporting System. The narrative is written by the pilot, rather than FAA or NTSB officials. To maintain anonymity, many details, such as aircraft model or airport, are often scrubbed from the reports.
I was doing solo pilot training at Igor I Sikorsky Memorial Airport (KBDR) in Bridgeport, Connecticut. I was operating a Piper Warrior.
On my second solo landing I intended to do a full stop and taxi back. Upon landing I was given instructions to exit the runway. The given taxiway was on my right. I applied brakes to position the aircraft onto the taxiway however it felt like my shoes slipped off the brake and the airplane rolled onto the grassy area.
The aircraft didn’t strike anything and there was no damage.
Several airport staff members arrived and pushed the aircraft onto the taxiway where I restarted the aircraft and finished taxiing.
I learned two things from this incident. First, my taxiing speed was slightly faster than normal. I should have radioed ATC that I would exit off the next taxiway, and second, the shoes I wore had a flat underside that felt like it slipped on the brake, which if I had been wearing sneakers like I usually do it wouldn’t have been an issue.
Primary Problem: Ambiguous
ACN: 1856503
Don’t wear sandals either. I found out the hard way flying a Citabria with heal brakes.