Fairchild(Howard) M 62C(PT-23A) accident near Petersburg, Virginia, May 22, 2014
On May 22, 2014 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 1943 Fairchild(Howard) M 62C(PT-23A), registered N60418, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Petersburg, Virginia (Dinwiddie County 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing attempt. Contributing to the accident was the changing wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 2014 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Petersburg, Virginia · Dinwiddie County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild(Howard) M 62C(PT-23A), built 1943 · all M 62C(PT-23A)s on the register
- Registration
- N60418 · no longer on the register · serial 337SL
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was providing training to the pilot for a tailwheel endorsement in the vintage military training airplane. The pilots described that it was "windy," with the wind generally aligned with the landing runway. Following several uneventful approaches and landings, the pilot was having difficulty controlling the airplane due to the wind, and the flight instructor offered to take control of the airplane and demonstrate a stabilized approach. When the airplane reached about 50 feet above the runway, the wind velocity suddenly decreased and the airplane began descending rapidly. The flight instructor responded by increasing engine power in an attempt to abort the landing; however, the airplane struck the runway and bounced back into the air. The flight instructor then completed an uneventful circuit around the traffic pattern, landed, and returned to the parking area to inspect the airplane for damage. Finding none, the pilot then restarted the airplane and flew another two circuits around the traffic pattern uneventfully. After the pilot returned to the parking area, the flight instructor noted substantial damage to the lower portion of both wings. The pilots reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during approach (VFR go-around)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Variable wind › Effect on operation
Flight instructor
- 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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,550 as pilot in command; 440 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 21, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 413 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 399 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 18, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,830 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 12, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 2,470 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Warbirds On Revue, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PTB Petersburg VA at 10:30 pm
- Destination: PTB Petersburg VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,002 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from KPTB, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 20, 2014. 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 | Photo 1 - Underside of Left Wing (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 2 - Damage to Underside of Right Wing (Photo Courtesy of FAA) | 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.
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.