Piper PA22 accident near Culpeper, Virginia, July 10, 2020
On July 10, 2020 at about 2:25 pm local time, a 1954 Piper PA22, registered N8103C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Culpeper, Virginia (Culpeper Rgnl 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 pilot’s failure to maintain directional control on landing resulting in a runway excursion and subsequent ground loop. Contributing to the outcome were the flight instructor’s inadequate remedial actions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2020 · about 2:25 pm local time
- Place
- Culpeper, Virginia · Culpeper Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA22 135, built 1954 · all PA22s on the register
- Registration
- N8103C · no longer on the register · serial 22-2249
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot/owner had recently purchased the tailwheel-equipped airplane, and while he had prior experience flying other tailwheel airplanes and had no prior experience in the accident airplane make and model. The purpose of accident flight was to gain experience while flying with a flight instructor. The pilot was flying in the left seat, which was the only seat equipped with wheel brakes, and the flight instructor was flying in the right seat. After an uneventful flight in the airport traffic pattern, the pilot approached the runway and touched down on the main landing gear. Shortly after the tailwheel touched down the airplane began drifting to the left. The pilot’s rudder inputs were ineffective in correcting the drift and the flight instructor assumed control of the airplane. The flight instructor reported that as he applied right rudder, the pilot applied braking forces that neutralized the flight instructor’s rudder inputs. The pilot eventually let go of the brakes after the airplane departed the left side of the runway, and with full right rudder still being applied by the flight instructor, the airplane veered back onto the runway. The airplane subsequently ground looped and the left main landing gear collapsed. The left wing and the fuselage were substantially damaged. Neither pilot reported any 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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › (general) › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 510 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 435 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 6, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all; 15 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 1, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,285 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 1,951 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 SERIES (piston); 4,285 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CJR Culpeper VA at 2:20 pm
- Destination: CJR Culpeper VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 pm from CJR, 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 April 5, 2021. 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, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation_pilot and FAA | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array_accident Site and Damage | 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.