Piper PA22 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, January 27, 2019
On January 27, 2019 at about 8:22 pm local time, a 1956 Piper PA22, registered N6716B, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill Field). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's overcorrection with rudder during the landing and her subsequent failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in a runway excursion, impact with a snowbank, and a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 2019 · about 8:22 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA22 150, built 1956 · all PA22s on the register
- Registration
- N6716B · no longer on the register · serial 22-4049
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, on her first solo flight and during a second touch-and-go landing, shortly after touchdown, the airplane "started sliding" right. She added that she overcorrected with "excessive" left rudder. Subsequently, the airplane exited the left side of the runway, impacted a snowbank, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Rudder control system › Incorrect use/operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Snow/ice › Contributed to outcome
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 23 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,745 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320A (piston); 1,810 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK
- Destination: MRI Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from PAMR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 2, 2019. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Picture | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.