Piper L-21B accident near East Liverpool, Ohio, August 31, 2011
On August 31, 2011 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper L-21B, registered N10365, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near East Liverpool, Ohio (Columbiana Country 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 failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2011 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- East Liverpool, Ohio · Columbiana Country Airport · 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 L-21B · all L-21Bs on the register
- Registration
- N10365 · registry record · serial 54-2533
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was attempting to perform a touch-and-go landing with full flaps in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. He stated that the main wheels touched the ground first, followed by the tailwheel, and the airplane then veered off the left side of the runway and into a gully. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the left wing outboard of the strut attachment point and the fuselage structure were bent.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,779 hours in all; 172 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 20, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,932 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 12, 2011
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BVI Beaver Falls PA at 4:15 pm
- Destination: BVI Beaver Falls PA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 25, 3,503 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on September 30, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N10365 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N10365 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper L-21 35 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,839 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 SERIES 2,126 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Columbiana County · nearest airport
- Beaver County · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,531 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N10365 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11CA611.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.