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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2011 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- East Liverpool, Ohio · Columbiana Country 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
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 N10365 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN11CA611.