Piper PA 22-135 accident near Drexel, Missouri, April 5, 2015
On April 5, 2015 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1954 Piper PA 22-135, registered N3768A, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (into takeoff position) near Drexel, Missouri. 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 airplane control while taxiing in unfavorable wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 2015 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Drexel, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 22-135 150, built 1954 · all PA 22-135s on the register
- Registration
- N3768A · registry record · serial 22-2010
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed stop and go landings, at a private dirt airstrip. After his third landing, while taxiing to the east for takeoff, the pilot reported encountering several wind gusts that nosed the airplane over. The airstrip is located between two weather reporting stations. Winds for the area were out of the south at fourteen knots with wind gusts at twenty-three knots. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its wings, fuselage, and lift struts. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to the accident that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
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 taxi (into takeoff position) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during taxi (into takeoff position)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 192.8 hours in all; 113 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 9.3 in the last 30 days; 179 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 21, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 953 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 17, 2015; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,949 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 953 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Drexel MO at 7:00 pm
- Destination: Drexel MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 1,000 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:15 pm from KGLY, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.
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.