Piper PA-22-150 accident near Rural Retreat, Virginia, August 25, 2026
On August 25, 2026 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1957 Piper PA-22-150, registered N6157D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Rural Retreat, Virginia (Mountain Empire 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2026 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rural Retreat, Virginia · Mountain Empire · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150, built 1957 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N6157D · registry record · serial 22-4804
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,325.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 2025; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: MKJ Rural Retreat VA at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 5,252 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 am from MKJ
Weather report (METAR): METAR KMKJ 251515Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 20/09 A3023 RMK AO2 T01950088
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N6157D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA26LA315.