NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ANC25LA066
Registry · N55PT
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-18-135
Year of manufacture
1953 · 72 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19560503
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A6FE69
Registrant of record
DEJULIA THOMAS A
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing in gusting and variable wind conditions.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane encountered a wind shift. He subsequently lost directional control, and the airplane’s left wing struck a tree. The airplane then veered off the intended landing area and impacted several additional trees, resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the lift struts. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Variable wind-Effect on operation
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2025_ANC25LA066.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Beyond the agency record
Search this event elsewhere.
Pre-filled searches into the sources where news + community discussion of aviation events lives. External sources are reported, not agency. Treat them as signal that something happened, not as fact about what happened.
Entity-clustered aviation events in the press — last 24 hr + 30-day archive.
Official agency record + docket.
Investigative docket: factual reports, photos, transcripts.
Long-running aviation incident database (Flight Safety Foundation).
Community NTSB synthesis blog — often has photos and witness reports.
Gold-standard aviation incident blog.
Aviation industry news search.
GA pilot forum — informed but rumor-prone.
GA pilot subreddit search.
Tail-number page — flight history (free tier limited).
AOPA Air Safety Institute search.
Mainstream press coverage. Recent events only.
Privacy-preserving news search.
External links open in a new tab. We don't ingest their content; we deep-link search queries.