Piper PA-22-160 accident near Sealy, Texas, January 4, 2026
On January 4, 2026 at about 10:30 pm local time, a 1958 Piper PA-22-160, registered N8877D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Sealy, Texas (Gloster Aerodrome airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the nose wheel during landing that resulted in a loss of directional control and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 4, 2026 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sealy, Texas · Gloster Aerodrome · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-160, built 1958 · all PA-22-160s on the register
- Registration
- N8877D · registry record · serial 22-6051
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and flight instructor departed from a grass airstrip and performed flight training maneuvers in the local area prior to returning to the airstrip. During the landing to the airstrip with no wind present, the airplane nose wheel turned right, and it did not respond to control inputs. The airplane departed the runway surface and impacted terrain. The airplane came to rest in a nose-down attitude on a grass field near the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, and the nose wheel was found collapsed. The flight instructor stated that the nose wheel had failed during the landing, and it did not respond to rudder inputs.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Not specified
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 5,400 as pilot in command; 5,300 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 19, 2025
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 205 hours in all; 13 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 4, 2026
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,942.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 23, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming Engines O320-B2A (piston); 2,943 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 3,400 ft by 90 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from TME, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CEN26LA078.