Piper PA 22 N7257D

Summary

On 4 June 2018 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper PA 22 registered N7257D, operated by Christiansen Lake Rentals & Maintenance, was involved in an accident near Talkeetna, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 June 2018 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Talkeetna, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

62.4300, -150.2400

Aircraft

Piper PA 22

Registration

N7257D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1957

Engines

1

Operator

Christiansen Lake Rentals & Maintenance

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Talkeetna → Talkeetna

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA324

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor’s improper landing flare and failure to maintain a proper descent rate during approach, which resulted in a hard landing. 

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that, during approach at a low level, due to "wind shear," the tailwheel-equipped airplane suddenly lost altitude. The instructor increased the engine power to full, but the airplane touched down "harder than normal." The airplane impacted the airstrip with a side load, and the left wing and left landing gear separated from the airplane, which then slid to a stop and came to rest upright. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The instructor reported that the wind was from 180° and light and variable at 7 to 10 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.