- Date
- May 15, 2017, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- South Boston, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N31JPPiper PA22
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 20, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20170515018569A
- Case key
- 95180
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 · 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 pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the tailwheel-equipped airplane veered to the left, and he "could not keep the [airplane] on [the] runway using full right rudder." The airplane exited the left side of the runway, continued to turn to the left about 180°, hit an embankment, and the right main landing gear collapsed. Subsequently, the right wing impacted the ground, and the airplane came to rest nose down. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 060° at 7 knots. The pilot landed on runway 19.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the landing roll, the tailwheel-equipped airplane veered to the left and he "could not keep the [airplane] on [the] runway using full right rudder." The airplane exited the left side of the runway, continued to turn to the left about 180°, encountered an embankment, and the right main gear collapsed. Subsequently, the right wing impacted the ground and the airplane came to rest nose down. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that about the time of the accident, on the accident airport, the wind was 060° at 7 knots. The pilot landed on runway 19.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31JP
- Reported as
- Piper PA22 (150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-3913
- Built
- 1956
- Airframe hours
- 2,863.5
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 10, 2017
- Departed
- 8NC8 · Durham, NC
- Destination
- W78 · South Boston, VA
- Airport
- W78 · William M Tuck, runway 19, 4,003 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 80
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 5,100 total · 41 in this make and model · 4,590 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- KDAN, 25 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 28, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 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.