NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN22LA003
Registry · N4106Y
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BOEING PT-17
Year of manufacture
1942 · 79 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR W670 SERIES (250 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19940902
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A4D761
Registrant of record
SACHITANO PAUL A
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s decision to takeoff from a road with obstacles in his flight path and his failure to maintain control of the airplane when encountering changing winds from approaching thunderstorms which resulted in the airplane impacting signal light cables.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that while taking off from a road, the airplane encountered a sudden wind shift which after becoming airborne caused the airplane to settle. As the airplane approached power lines above a road signal light and cables, the pilot decided to fly under the power lines. During the descent, the airplane impacted the signal light cables. The airplane yawed to the left, struck the ground, and nosed over into a ditch on the side of the road coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. In his NTSB Form 6120.1, the pilot reported that he put pressure on himself to fly the airplane to shelter due to approaching thunderstorms and would not recommend second guessing any approaching weather conditions. He stated that the abrupt wind changes from possible downdrafts were factors in the airplane’s inability to clear the obstacles in its flight path. 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).
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Unnecessary action-Pilot
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained
- — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Downdraft-Effect on equipment
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2021_CEN22LA003.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (thunderstorm). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
The Impact of Thunderstorms on Take-off Data in South Africa
Aviation and meteorology are entwined disciplines, as aviation occurs in the atmosphere. Prevailing weather conditions at take-off are of utmost importance to aviation.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Thunderstorm hazards flight research: Storm hazards 1980 overview
A highly instrumented NASA F-106B aircraft, modified for the storm hazards mission and protected against direct lightning strikes, was used in conjunction with various ground based radar and lightning…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings
Operational evaluation of thunderstorm penetration test flights during project Storm Hazards '80
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is conducting a research project called Storm Hazards '80 in order to study the prediction, detectability and avoidance of the hazards of severe storm…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Nowcasting Thunderstorm Anvil Clouds Over KSC/CCAFS
Electrified thunderstorm anvil clouds extend the threat of natural and triggered lightning to space launch and landing operations far beyond the immediate vicinity of thunderstorm cells.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Observations of severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops
Data derived from the flight tapes of two airliners that experienced severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops are used to produce quantitative descriptions of the turbulence and its environment.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗