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Atlas / NTSB / WPR25LA121

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR25LA121

2025-03-25 Tracy, California, United States Airport · TCY None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N9528D

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER PA-22-160

Year of manufacture

1958 · 67 years old at event

Engine

LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19581024

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S AD3F89

Registrant of record

GREENHEAD FLIGHT SERVICES LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

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

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that he was conducting a few practice landings before continuing a cross-county flight. During the landing roll of the second landing, the airplane veered to the right. The pilot stated that they overcompensated to the left, right, and back to the left before the airplane ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 30 with wind from 120° at 3 knots. 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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_WPR25LA121.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.