Piper PA-28 accident near Lucedale, Mississippi, August 15, 2022
On August 15, 2022 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1962 Piper PA-28, registered N5341W, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Lucedale, Mississippi (Sky Landings 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 while landing on the wet turf runway with a higher speed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 15, 2022 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lucedale, Mississippi · Sky Landings Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28, built 1962 · all PA-28s on the register
- Registration
- N5341W · no longer on the register · serial 28-399
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing on a wet turf runway, the pilot used 30° of flaps and an approach speed of about 75 knots so he could land softly. A witness observed that the airplane’s speed during rollout was faster than normal. During the landing roll the airplane started to slide to the left. The pilot attempted to keep the airplane in the center of the runway. The airplane then turned violently to the left, departed the runway, and impacted a peanut field. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and vertical stabilizer. A postaccident examination revealed the nosewheel tire pressure was low and the shimmy dampener had little resistance in either direction. No anomalies were observed with the main landing gear brake assemblies or tires that would have precluded normal operations. The pilot’s loss of directional control on the wet turf runway was likely due to the higher-than-normal touchdown and rollout speeds on a wet turf runway. It is possible that the low tire pressure and shimmy dampener may have contributed to the pilot’s inability to regain control of the airplane; however, investigators were not able to establish the extent that this would have contributed to the accident.
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
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Wet surface › Contributed to outcome
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 233 hours in all; 59 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 221 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 14, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,293 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 22, 2022; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 4,293 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KIYA Abbeville LA at 1:10 pm
- Destination: 22MS Lucedale MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 am from KMOB, 17 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KMOB 151556Z 30005KT 10SM SCT039 SCT110 BKN200 32/24 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP151 T03170239
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on February 28, 2024. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Information | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Aircraft Examination by FAA Inspector - Correspondence | PDF, 1 page | 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 N5341W 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.