- Date
- August 29, 2022, 11:40, time zone not recorded
- Place
- Twin Bridges, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N3268BPiper PA-22-135
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20220829015359A
- Case key
- 105824
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during an aborted landing, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings.
Analysis
According to the student pilot, he entered a cross-control slip to the right on short final to descend. About 150 ft agl, the airplane was trimmed for landing with flaps applied, but the nose of the airplane remained oriented to the right of the runway centerline, and he aborted the landing. The student was instructed to lower the nose to increase the airspeed, but the airplane continued to turn right, and the flight instructor came on the flight controls. The flight instructor reported that he immediately reduced the angle of attack and executed standard stall recovery techniques. The airplane continued to descend and touched down on rising unimproved terrain with a left sideload. The left main and the nose landing gear collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing ribs, spar and aileron. Post-accident examination of the airplane’s primary flight controls revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3268B
- Reported as
- Piper PA-22-135
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22-2089
- Built
- 1954
- Airframe hours
- 2,738
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-D2, 135 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Randall A. Johnson
- Registered owner
- Randall A. Johnson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 15, 2022 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- DLN · Dillon, MT
- Destination
- RVF · Rvf, MT
- Airport
- RVF · Ruby Valley Fld
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 16, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 5,372 total · 40 in this make and model · 5,197 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 130 total · 127 in this make and model · 83 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KDLN, 20 nm away
- METAR
- KDLN 291753Z AUTO VRB03KT 10SM CLR 19/03 A3021 RMK AO2 SLP191 T01890028 10206 20039 50001
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 28, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.4 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 N3268B · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.