20250418003419A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-22 · Allentown, PA · April 18, 2025

Date
April 18, 2025 · 10:45 local
Place
Allentown, PA
Airport
Lehigh Valley International Ai
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N937A
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA25LA178
Reported as
Piper PA-22
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-290 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Student
Pilot’s flight hours
106 total42 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The student pilot was conducting a solo flight with the intention of performing several touch and go landings on runway 24 at abe. After the student departed for the first trip in the pattern the winds began to unexpectedly increase. The student approached runway 24 and at about 200 feet felt that the runway was made and noticed that he had to add some left crosswind correction. Video evidence shows the aircraft touching down on 24 on it's right main and nose gears before settling on to the runway on all three landing gear. Approximately 2 seconds later the aircraft's left wing raises and the aircraft again appears to only be on it's right main and nose gears. The tail then begins to raise slowly and the aircraft ends up upside down.

As the FAA filed it

THE STUDENT PILOT WAS CONDUCTING A SOLO FLIGHT WITH THE INTENTION OF PERFORMING SEVERAL TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS ON RUNWAY 24 AT ABE. AFTER THE STUDENT DEPARTED FOR THE FIRST TRIP IN THE PATTERN THE WINDS BEGAN TO UNEXPECTEDLY INCREASE. THE STUDENT APPROACHED RUNWAY 24 AND AT ABOUT 200 FEET FELT THAT THE RUNWAY WAS MADE AND NOTICED THAT HE HAD TO ADD SOME LEFT CROSSWIND CORRECTION. VIDEO EVIDENCE SHOWS THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHING DOWN ON 24 ON IT'S RIGHT MAIN AND NOSE GEARS BEFORE SETTLING ON TO THE RUNWAY ON ALL THREE LANDING GEAR. APPROXIMATELY 2 SECONDS LATER THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT WING RAISES AND THE AIRCRAFT AGAIN APPEARS TO ONLY BE ON IT'S RIGHT MAIN AND NOSE GEARS. THE TAIL THEN BEGINS TO RAISE SLOWLY AND THE AIRCRAFT ENDS UP UPSIDE DOWN.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.