- Date
- July 10, 2022, 16:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Fitchburg, MA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5915DPiper PA-22-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: 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
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220710011939A
- Case key
- 105671
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 loss of directional control while 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 was landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane in light crosswind conditions. He reported that after landing he was attempting to resolve a tailwheel shimmy when the airplane began to ground loop and exited the runway. The right main landing gear dug into soft dirt along the runway shoulder and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5915D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-4577
- Built
- 1956
- Airframe hours
- 3,130.08
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2021
- Airport
- FIT · Fitchburg Muni, runway 32, 5,001 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 27, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 752 total · 188 in this make and model · 682 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- FIT
- METAR
- KFIT 102352Z AUTO 32004KT 10SM CLR 25/07 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP161 T02500067 10289 20250 55002
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 8, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 14.7 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.