Piper PA-22-160 accident near Bennettsville, South Carolina, October 29, 2005
On October 29, 2005 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-160, registered N3029Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bennettsville, South Carolina (Marlboro County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The malfunction of the wheel brake assembly due to low fluid level that resulted in a loss of control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 2005 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bennettsville, South Carolina · Marlboro County · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-160 · all PA-22-160s on the register
- Registration
- N3029Z · registry record · serial 22-6983
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, after returning from a short uneventful cross-country flight from Camden, South Carolina to Bennettsville, South Carolina, during the landing roll on runway 24, the airplane began to veer to the right. The pilot attempted to steer the airplane with the tail wheel but was unsuccessful. The airplane exited runway 24 and ground looped, and the left wing collided with the ground. The pilot stated that the left brake master cylinder was low on fluid, and the left brake did not engage.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,525 hours in all; 1,525 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,957 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2004; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CDN Camden SC at 9:15 pm
- Destination: BBP Bennettsville SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KFLO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N3029Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.