Piper L-21B accident near Big Beaver, Pennsylvania, June 22, 2009
On June 22, 2009 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Piper L-21B, registered N10365, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Big Beaver, Pennsylvania (Beaver County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 during a landing rollout with a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2009 · about 7:30 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Big Beaver, Pennsylvania · Beaver County Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
According to the pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he landed on Runway 28. During the rollout, the airplane became "erratic for no apparent reason," veered off the left side of the runway, encountered standing water in the grass and nosed over, damaging the vertical stabilizer. Runway 28 was 4,501 feet long and 100 feet wide. Winds, recorded at the airport 17 minutes after the accident, were from 360 degrees true at 12 knots. A postflight examination of the airplane revealed no preexisting mechanical anomalies.
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)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,528 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 3,206 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 28, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,930 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 8, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Heritage INC
The flight
- Departed from: JST Johnstown PA at 6:45 pm
- Destination: BVI Beaver Falls PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 4,501 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 7:47 pm from BVI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 30, 2009. 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 |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record | 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 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
- Beaver County · nearest airport
- John Murtha Johnstown/Cambria County · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,836 since 1982 · 234 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,195 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/ERA09CA364.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.