# NTSB ANC20LA064: Piper PA22, N3604A, Soldotna, AK, July 4, 2020 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: July 4, 2020, 15:23 local (23:23 UTC) - Place: Soldotna, AK - Coordinates: 60.45, -150.93333 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=60.4500&lon=-150.9333&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Enroute: Part(s) separation from AC](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/338) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA - ADs cited in the narratives: [AD 74-17-04](https://openairdocs.org/ad/74-17-04) (OpenAirDocs) - NTSB case key (mKey): 101545 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC20LA064 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/101545/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC20LA064 ## Probable cause The delamination of the fabric material from the fuselage above the windscreen due to failed adhesive, which resulted in disrupted airflow and a subsequent hard landing. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Fuselage: fuselage main structure](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035310): Aircraft › Aircraft structures · Failure (probable cause); cases with it: [Piper PA-22-135, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035310/cases.md?model=7102206), [All aircraft, 24 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035310/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot; cases with it: [Piper PA-22-135, 18 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=7102206), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: landing flare](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062041): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Unknown/Not determined; cases with it: [Piper PA-22-135, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062041/cases.md?model=7102206), [All aircraft, 1,285 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062041/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Enroute: Part(s) separation from AC](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/338) (defining event); cases with it: [Piper PA-22-135, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/338/sequence.md?model=7102206), [All aircraft, 563 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/338/sequence.md) - [Enroute: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240); cases with it: [Piper PA-22-135, 9 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=7102206), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) - [Emergency descent: Attempted remediation/recovery](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/060); cases with it: [Piper PA-22-135, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/060/sequence.md?model=7102206), [All aircraft, 1,422 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/060/sequence.md) - [Landing: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092); cases with it: [Piper PA-22-135, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md?model=7102206), [All aircraft, 2,102 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md) ## Analysis In cruise flight, the private pilot heard and felt a “pop” emit from the airplane. He immediately noticed the airplane descending but verified he still had elevator continuity. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot made an emergency landing on a nearby paved road; however, the airplane landed hard, and the main landing gear collapsed. Postaccident examination revealed control continuity, but it was noted that the adhesive adhering the fabric above the windscreen had separated. FAA Airworthiness Directive (AD) 74-17-04 applies to certain Piper airplanes, including PA-22 series airplanes that are covered with cotton or linen, and was issued to prevent the sudden failure of the material at the top of the windshield by requiring the installation of a reinforcement metal strip. Because the accident airplane was covered in a heavy-duty polyester material, the hardware specified in the AD was not required for installation on the airframe nor was it installed. It is likely that the adhesive adhering the fabric above the windscreen delaminated and disrupted the airflow over the airplane. It was not determined why the adhesive failed/delaminated. ## Factual narrative On July 4, 2020, about 1523 Alaska daylight time, a Piper PA-22 airplane, N3604A, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Soldotna, Alaska. The private pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that once established in a cruise flight configuration, around 1,300 ft mean sea level (msl), he heard and felt a “pop” emit from the airplane. He immediately noticed the airplane was descending and verified that he still had elevator continuity by looking back at the empennage. The elevator was not “stuck”, but he was unable to maintain altitude. He made an emergency landing on a nearby paved roadway, but during the touchdown, the airplane landed hard and the main landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, both wing struts, and the fuselage. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation safety inspector examined the airplane after recovery and reported that the flight control cables were intact, and that flight control continuity was established. The inspector noted that the area above the windscreen where the fabric was connected to the fuselage had separated. He also indicated that the fabric did not tear; rather, the adhesive that held the fabric to the structure delaminated. FAA Airworthiness Directive (AD) 74-17-04, dated April 11, 1977, and applicable to certain Piper airplane models, including PA-22 series airplanes, that are “covered with cotton or linen at the critical area on top of the windshield” where the fabric attaches to the structure was issued to prevent the sudden failure of the material at the top of the windshield by requiring the installation of a reinforcement metal strip. The accident airplane was covered in Ceconite 101, a heavy-duty polyester material. The AD hardware was not installed on the airframe of the accident airplane nor was it required to be. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N3604A](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3604A), registered now, S/N 22-1864, built 1953 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA22 (135) - Registry model: [Piper PA-22-135](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-22-135) (registry code 7102206) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-290 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-290-series) (registry code 41506, 4 cycle) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 22-1864 - Year built: 1953 - Engines: Lycoming O-320B 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: AK84, Sterling, AK - Destination: HOM, Homer, AK - Equipment: Handheld GPS ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 32; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; restraint: 4-point; flight hours: 336 total, 237 in this make and model, 258 as pilot in command, 73 in the last 90 days, 31 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 280° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 75 °F, dew point 55 °F - Altimeter: 30.05 inHg - Observed at: PASX, 3 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20200704008879A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200704008879A), Jul 4, 2020: Piper PA-22-135, Soldotna, AK, Substantial damage. On July 4, 2020 at 1520 local time, N3604A, a Piper PA-22, was substantially damaged during a forced off field landing near Soldotna, AK. The pilot was the… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.