- Date
- April 18, 2025, 10:35 local (14:35 UTC)
- Place
- Bethlehem, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N937APiper PA-22
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 2026
- 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
- 20250418003419A
- Case key
- 200034
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 student pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane while landing in gusting crosswind conditions.
Findings · 4
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 student pilot reported that he intended to perform a solo flight and complete 3 takeoffs and landings at his home airport. Just prior to touchdown, the airplane encountered a left crosswind. After the airplane landed, a series of wind gusts pushed the airplane onto the nose landing gear and flipped the airplane over, which resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and empennage. The pilot further stated that he recalled that the airport air traffic control tower controller reported a left crosswind during his takeoff clearance and during two other times before landing. The wind reported at the airport 6 minutes after the accident indicated a 30° left crosswind at 11 knots with gusts up to 19 knots. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N937A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-241
- Built
- 1951
- Airframe hours
- 2,689.7
- Engine
- Lycoming Engines O-290-D, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 6, 2025 · 4 hours before
- Airport
- ABE · Lehigh Valley International Airport, runway 24, 7,599 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 23, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 106 total · 42 in this make and model · 36 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 11 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- ABE, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KABE 181442Z 21011G19KT 10SM CLR 18/03 A3021 RMK AO2 T01780033
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 12, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 15.6 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.