NTSB WPR22LA170 — 2022-05-02 · Mesa, Arizona, United States

Current FAA registration · N3390A

Make / Model: PIPER PA-22-135
Year of manufacture: 1954 · 68 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING O-290-D2 (140 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20070206
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A3B997

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N3390A Piper PA22/135 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in a ground loop.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, during an instructional flight practicing landings to a full stop, the airplane veered left, directional control was lost and the left wing and left elevator were substantially damaged when they contacted the runway surface during a ground loop. 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

FAA avdata. C = Cause, 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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_WPR22LA170.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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