NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN22LA417
Registry · N303T
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-18-105 SPECIAL
Year of manufacture
1953 · 69 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20160502
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A32C20
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s decision to depart during high, gusty wind conditions which resulted sink and subsequent impact with terrain.
Factual narrative
The pilot planned to depart from a 2,250 ft turf/gravel runway with expected wind conditions of 5 to 10 knots. After he arrived to the airplane, the pilot observed high wind conditions, with gusts to 40 knots. The pilot elected to depart and as the airplane passed over trees during the initial climb, he noticed high, gusty wind conditions, which he made full control inputs to counter. The airplane entered into sink and it subsequently impacted terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and right horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation, and that he should have delayed the departure based on the high wind conditions. 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-High wind-Decision related to condition
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2022_CEN22LA417.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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