Piper PA 16 accident near Tollville, Arkansas, June 10, 2015
On June 10, 2015 at about 2:45 am local time, a 1949 Piper PA 16, registered N5735H, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Tollville, Arkansas (Private Airstrip 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing flare, which resulted in the airplane impacting a rice field and nosing over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 2015 · about 2:45 am local time
- Place
- Tollville, Arkansas · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 16 NO SERIES, built 1949 · all PA 16s on the register
- Registration
- N5735H · no longer on the register · serial 16-347
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while on short final to the unlit airstrip; during the flare, he lost sight of the runway and the airplane veered to the right, impacted a rice field, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and lift strut. The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation The pilot stated that the accident may have been mitigated if he would have landed on a lit runway and conducted a wheel landing instead of a three point landing, which would have allowed him to maintain a visual of the runway until his main wheels where on the ground.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
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 › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › (general) › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 244.8 hours in all; 189.8 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 244.8 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,989 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 13, 2015; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 CL (piston); 185 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6M0 Hazen AR
- Destination: Unkn Tollville AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,544 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 am from KSGT, 7 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.