Piper PA-22-135 N3268B

Summary

On 29 August 2022 at about 11:40 local time, a Piper PA-22-135 registered N3268B, operated by Randall A. Johnson, was involved in an accident near Twin Bridges, Montana, 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

29 August 2022 at 11:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Twin Bridges, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Ruby Valley Fld (RVF)

Coordinates

45.5354, -112.3023

Aircraft

Piper PA-22-135

Registration

N3268B

Category

Airplane

Year built

1954

Engines

1

Operator

Randall A. Johnson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dillon → Rvf

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA321

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during an aborted landing, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the student pilot, he entered a cross-control slip to the right on short final to descend. About 150 ft agl, the airplane was trimmed for landing with flaps applied, but the nose of the airplane remained oriented to the right of the runway centerline, and he aborted the landing. The student was instructed to lower the nose to increase the airspeed, but the airplane continued to turn right, and the flight instructor came on the flight controls. The flight instructor reported that he immediately reduced the angle of attack and executed standard stall recovery techniques. The airplane continued to descend and touched down on rising unimproved terrain with a left sideload. The left main and the nose landing gear collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing ribs, spar and aileron. Post-accident examination of the airplane’s primary flight controls revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.