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Atlas / NTSB / CEN25LA222

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CEN25LA222

2025-06-26 Sweetwater, Texas, United States Airport · SWW None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N2300A

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER PA-22-135

Year of manufacture

1952 · 73 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING 0-290 SERIES (140 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19560924

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A20AD9

Registrant of record

COOPER BRIAN T

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing with a crosswind.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that after landing in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, a gusty crosswind lifted the tail of the airplane, and he lost directional control. The pilot attempted to regain control of the airplane; however, when the tail wheel contacted the runway again, the airplane swerved to the right and exited the runway. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing impacted terrain which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot landed on runway 22 with wind variable between 150° and 200°at 9 kts. 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on equipment

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_CEN25LA222.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.