No fatalities

PIPER PA22 150 accident at Cortland, NY, 13 Jul 2020

Cortland, NY, United States

On July 13, 2020, a PIPER PA22 150 was involved in an aviation accident near Cortland, NY. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The mechanic’s incorrect rigging of the aileron control cables, which resulted in a reversal of aileron control inputs applied by the pilot during the takeoff. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

Probable cause

The mechanic’s incorrect rigging of the aileron control cables, which resulted in a reversal of aileron control inputs applied by the pilot during the takeoff. Also causal was the mechanic’s inadequate post-maintenance inspection and the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection and before takeoff check, which failed to detect the misrigging.

— NTSB Determination

Contributing factors

Incorrect service/maintenanceMaintenance personnelPilot