Summary
On June 15, 2018, a Piper PA 22 (N8273C) was involved in an accident near Hillsboro, OH. The accident resulted in 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing.
The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the tailwheel equipped airplane exited the runway to the left, struck a runway light and impacted a ditch. The left main landing gear separated from the airplane and the airplane came to rest nose down.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left lower fuselage and left wing.
The pilot added that while he was at the departure airport prior to the flight, due to jet blast, he was blown off a ladder during the preflight inspection and that the airplane's tail section was "picked" up and slammed several times onto the ground. He examined the airplane and did not find any anomalies.
This accident is documented in NTSB report GAA18CA359. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8273C.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the tailwheel equipped airplane exited the runway to the left, struck a runway light and impacted a ditch. The left main landing gear separated from the airplane and the airplane came to rest nose down.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left lower fuselage and left wing.
The pilot added that while he was at the departure airport prior to the flight, due to jet blast, he was blown off a ladder during the preflight inspection and that the airplane's tail section was "picked" up and slammed several times onto the ground. He examined the airplane and did not find any anomalies. During takeoff, the pilot did not report any control issues or anomalies but during the flight to the accident airport, he felt the airplane was out of trim.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that, during a postaccident examination, he was not able to determine if the damage to the tailwheel was sustained prior to the accident and not caused by the airplane's impact of the ditch.
The pilot did not submit the NTSB Form 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA18CA359