Maule MXT-7-180 accident near Troy, Alabama, August 28, 2021
On August 28, 2021 at about 6:05 pm local time, a 2018 Maule MXT-7-180, registered N32566, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Troy, Alabama (Dunn Private Airstrip 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 while landing which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2021 · about 6:05 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Troy, Alabama · Dunn Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Maule MXT-7-180, built 2018 · all MXT-7-180s on the register
- Registration
- N32566 · registry record · serial 14137C
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed a preflight inspection of the airplane with no anomalies noted and departed with the intent to practice approaches and landings. After the last practice approach, he set up for a straight in approach with full flaps. He stated that as he approached the runway threshold, “my right wing abruptly rose significantly, and the airplane started to slip to the left”. He applied right rudder and aileron but was unable to correct the airplane’s direction before it struck a tree with the left wing, descended, and came to rest inverted on the edge of the trees. The left wing and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that the airplane had no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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 approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 99.4 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 75.7 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 8, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 163 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2020; 54.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1F (piston); 163 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TOI Troy AL at 4:45 pm
- Destination: TOI Troy AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 1,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; a few clouds at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from TOI, 2 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KTOI 281753Z AUTO 10007KT 10SM FEW034 FEW044 BKN060 32/21 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP194 T03170211 10333 20250 58008=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Investigative Photographs Peter Wentz Air Safety Investigator Eastern Region Aviation Photographs
Photograph 2 – Accident airplane – right side view. Photograph 3 – Accident airplane – propeller, cowling and nose wheel strut.
Photograph 4 – Accident site – right side view of airplane.
Photograph 5 – Accident site – tail view of airplane.The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on May 5, 2022. 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 Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N32566 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Maule MXT-7 135 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Maule 1,346 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C1F 102 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Troy Municipal AT N Kenneth Campbell Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alabama 1,211 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- Alabama 4,356 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA21LA345.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.