NTSB CEN20CA222 — 2020-06-07 · Lancaster, Texas, United States

Current FAA registration · N4123H

Make / Model: PIPER PA-15
Engine: CONT MOTOR C145 SERIES (145 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A4DE57

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N4123H Piper PA 15 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor stated that he was acting as a safety pilot for the newly certificated pilot, who was getting familiar with the airplane. They had flow five or six circuits around the traffic pattern and subsequently landed on runway 13. When the airplane was just above taxi speed, it began drifting to the right. The pilot used full left rudder and "stomped on the brake." The airplane veered to the left and then the right wingtip contacted the ground. The outboard one-quarter of the right wing was crumpled and the right main landing gear collapsed under the fuselage. The flight instructor stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN20CA222.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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