- Date
- August 30, 2021, 12:47 local (20:47 UTC)
- Place
- Soldotna, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3419APiper PA-22-135
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20210830015189A
- Case key
- 103794
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in a ground-loop.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, during the landing roll-out she reached down to retract the flaps and the tailwheel-equipped airplane began to veer to the right. She attempted to correct with left rudder, but the airplane began to “fishtail”. She then applied brakes to correct for the veering movement to no avail. Subsequently, the airplane ground-looped to the left, exited the runway to the left, and the right wing and elevator impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and elevator. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3419A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-1692
- Built
- 1953
- Airframe hours
- 3,323.8
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290 SERIES, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 22, 2021
- Departed
- BGQ · Big Lake, AK
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- SXQ · Soldotna, runway 07S/25S, 2,300 × 60 ft, dirt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 4, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 102 total · 14 in this make and model · 45 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- PASX
- METAR
- PASX 302056Z AUTO 02003KT 10SM CLR 18/07 A3009 RMK AO2 SLP199 T01780067 56011
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 18, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N3419A · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.