- Date
- September 20, 2025, 18:55 local (22:55 UTC)
- Place
- Merritt Island, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3429ZPiper PA22
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2025
- 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
- 20250920015599A
- Case key
- 201725
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 while landing in a crosswind.
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 owner/pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane was attempting a normal three-point landing in a 15-knot right crosswind that was gusting to 18 knots. During the landing the airplane departed the right side of the runway and came to rest in a drainage ditch. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3429Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA22 (150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-7343
- Built
- 1960
- Airframe hours
- 3,881
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 7, 2025 · 66 hours before
- Departed
- KSSI · St.Simmons Island, GA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- COI · Merritt Island, runway 29, 3,601 × 75 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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 24, 2024
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,967 total · 470 in this make and model · 2,765 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.99 inHg
- Observed at
- COI
- METAR
- METAR KCOI 202255Z AUTO 35012KT 10SM SCT027 29/24 A2999 RMK AO2=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.1 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.