No fatalities

15 May 2017: PIPER PA22 150 — South Boston, VA

South Boston, VA, United States

On 15 May 2017, a PIPER PA22 150 was involved in an aviation accident near South Boston, VA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During landing roll, a tailwheel-equipped airplane veered left. Despite full right rudder, the pilot could not keep it on the runway. The airplane exited left, turned 180°, struck an embankment, collapsed the right main gear, and came to rest nose down.

Accident Details

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, the airplane veered to the left. The pilot stated he "could not keep the [airplane] on [the] runway using full right rudder." The airplane subsequently exited the left side of the runway, continued to turn left approximately 180°, and encountered an embankment. The right main landing gear collapsed during this event. The right wing then impacted the ground, and the airplane came to rest in a nose-down attitude.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Wind Conditions

According to the pilot, at the time of the accident, the wind at the airport was from 060° at 7 knots. The pilot had landed on runway 19.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on operationContributed to outcome