Piper PA-22-150 accident near Searcy, Arkansas, May 16, 1998
On May 16, 1998 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N3711P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Searcy, Arkansas (Searcy Municipal 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 of the airplane during the takeoff roll. A factor was the certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 16, 1998 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Searcy, Arkansas · Searcy Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3711P · registry record · serial 22-3429
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 1,800 hour instrument rated private pilot lost directional control of the airplane on take-off roll, during an instructional flight which was to familiarize him with the airplane. The airplane landed on runway 01, the instructor pilot retracted the flaps, and told the private pilot to 'go around.' As the private pilot applied takeoff power, the airplane began to veer to the right. Full rudder and aileron deflection, combined with maximum braking failed direct the airplane back to the runway centerline. Subsequently, the airplane exited the right side of the runway and came to rest nose down in a drainage ditch, between the runway and a taxiway.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,400 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 4,200 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 16, 1998; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MO7 at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 5,007 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from LIT, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N3711P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.