Piper PA-22-160 accident near Pierre, South Dakota, May 19, 2003
On May 19, 2003 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-160, registered N9601D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pierre, South Dakota (Pierre 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall. A contributing factor was the collapse of the main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 2003 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pierre, South Dakota · Pierre Airport · 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 · all PA-22-160s on the register
- Registration
- N9601D · registry record · serial 22-6510
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted terrain while landing at an off airport landing area. The pilot reported the airplane abruptly lost airspeed and impacted terrain, the main landing gear subsequently collapsed and the airplane slid to a stop. The weather reporting station at the departure airport reported the winds at 1353 as 340 degrees at 15 knots.
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 land
- Flight time: 1,072 hours in all; 372 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,072 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 3, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIR Pierre SD at 1:45 pm
- Destination: PIR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from PIR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 CHI03LA131.