Piper PA-28-180 accident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 6, 2021
On September 6, 2021 at about 7:05 pm local time, a 1970 Piper PA-28-180, registered N5166S, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Wings Fld 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s exceedance of the wing’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of aircraft control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2021 · about 7:05 pm local time
- Place
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Wings Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180, built 1970 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5166S · no longer on the register · serial 28-7105020
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane entered airspace under a Temporary Flight Restriction and was escorted to the accident airport by military aircraft. Pilots at the airport who witnessed the accident described the airplane’s approach as “long, slow, and unstable” and stated that the wings were “rocking.” They each described the airplane experiencing an aerodynamic stall where the airplane “dropped sharply” from about 50 feet above the runway surface. The pilot reported to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector that there were no mechanical deficiencies with his airplane that would have precluded normal operations, and that a vibration he detected before ground contact was “the stalled wing.”
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
- Hard landing during landing
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 602 hours in all; 515 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 21, 1992
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,054 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 26, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 4,202 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06/2, 3,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 3:05 pm from KLOM
Weather report (METAR): 062015Z AUTO 26008G16KT 220V280 10SM SCT065 27/13 A2982 RMK AO2 T02710130
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 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 | FAA Inspector's Statement Memorandum for Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements Trego | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Witness Statements Rouiller | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Records Annual Inspection | 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.