North American SNJ-6 accident near Greenwood, South Carolina, May 1, 2022
On May 1, 2022 at about 4:15 pm local time, a 1945 North American SNJ-6, registered N451WA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Greenwood, South Carolina (Greenwood 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 loss of directional control due to a fractured tailwheel steering linkage assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 2022 · about 4:15 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Greenwood, South Carolina · Greenwood County Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American SNJ-6, built 1945 · all SNJ-6s on the register
- Registration
- N451WA · registry record · serial 112227
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, during the approach to landing the student pilot correctly flared and maintained pitch attitude and airspeed as the airplane touched down. When the tailwheel contacted the runway, the airplane immediately yawed to the left uncontrollably. The airplane ground looped, and the main landing gear collapsed before coming to a stop. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. An examination of the tailwheel steering linkage assembly revealed the castellated nut fitting fractured.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear steering system › Failure other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,011 hours in all; 286 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 916 as pilot in command; 629 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 7,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 13, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,478 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 2, 2022; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1 (piston); 10,339 hours total
- Operator: Warbird Adventures Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: GRD Greenwood SC at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 5,001 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from KGRD
Weather report (METAR): METAR KGRD 011656Z AUTO 19008KT 10SM BKN033 BKN041 26/17 A3009 RMK AO2 SLP184 T02610172
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – View of airplane showing collapsed landing gear and structural damage of wing and aileron.
Photo 2 – View of broken castellated nut fitting.
Photo 3 – View of removed tailwheel steering linkage assembly, showing broken fitting.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
4 documents, released by the NTSB on October 10, 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/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - FAA Examination | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | T6 Parts Manual Excerpts | PDF, 2 pages | 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
- N451WA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- North American SNJ-6 32 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- North American 1,297 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-1340-AN-1 64 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Greenwood County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in South Carolina 1,036 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- South Carolina 3,112 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA22LA214.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.