Piper PA-22 accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, March 26, 2006
On March 26, 2006 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-22, registered N6123D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona (Grand Canyon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing during touchdown, which resulted in a loss of control and encounter with terrain. Factors associated with the accident are the pilot's misjudged flare, and a gusty wind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 2006 · about 5:45 pm local time · cases in 2006
- Place
- Grand Canyon, Arizona · Grand Canyon · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22 · all PA-22s on the register
- Registration
- N6123D · registry record · serial 22-4767
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was landing his tailwheel-converted airplane at the completion of a local personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91. He said the airplane landed hard in a gusty wind, bounced, and went off the side of the runway, incurring structural damage when the right wing and elevator struck the ground. The pilot said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident, and noted that he should have aborted the landing as soon as the airplane started to veer off the runway.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 449 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Tuba City AZ
- Destination: Grand Canyon AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 6,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 30 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6123D on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer and Colt 2,942 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,844 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 27,311 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Grand Canyon Ntl Park Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,983 since 1982 · 466 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,423 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC06CA034.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.