- Date
- August 25, 2026, 11:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Rural Retreat, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6157DPiper PA-22-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 8, 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
- 20260825010049A
- Case key
- 203664
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 the landing roll.
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 after landing during the landing roll, the aircraft drifted to the left side of the runway. Airport video shows the airplane departed the left side of the runway. The pilot attempted to correct the drift with right rudder pedal input; however, the airplane ground looped to the right resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6157D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-4804
- Built
- 1957
- Airframe hours
- 3,325.5
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Badinelli Ralph D
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 15, 2025 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- MKJ · Rural Retreat, VA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- MKJ · Mountain Empire, runway 26, 5,252 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device, Handheld GPS, Video recording 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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 14, 2024
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 858 total · 244 in this make and model · 774 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- MKJ
- METAR
- METAR KMKJ 251515Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 20/09 A3023 RMK AO2 T01950088
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 8, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 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.
Other investigations on N6157D · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.