Piper PA-22-160 accident near Jeannette, Pennsylvania, August 19, 2008
On August 19, 2008 at about 10:52 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-160, registered N9403D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Jeannette, Pennsylvania (Greensburg Jeannette Regional airport). It was a personal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the brakes to function due to inadequate inspection of the brake cable by maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 2008 · about 10:52 pm local time
- Place
- Jeannette, Pennsylvania · Greensburg Jeannette Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-160 · all PA-22-160s on the register
- Registration
- N9403D · registry record · serial 22-6376
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the airplane bounced on landing. He aligned the airplane with the centerline and applied upward pressure on the manual brake; however, there was no response from the brake. He looked down towards the firewall, and observed the brake cable had separated. He started "S" turning the airplane in an attempt to slow down and stop. The airplane was about 50 yards from the end of the runway with an embankment. He applied right rudder to turn the airplane off the right side of the runway. The airplane continued off the runway and the nose wheel collapsed. Examination of the brake lever cable revealed that it failed due to fatigue. The last annual inspection was completed 36 days before the accident. The airframe and power plant mechanic who preformed the annual inspection stated that he also installed a brake booster on the airplane during the inspection. The mechanic stated that he did not totally remove the cable from the airplane during his examination; however he did check the brake cable with a cloth and there were no snags from broken wires. The Federal Aviation Administration advisory circular that pertains to the inspection of the brake cables states, "in addition to passing a cloth over the area to check on wire snags that a very careful visual inspection must be made since a broken wire will not always protrude or stick out, but may lie in the strand and remain in the position of the helix as it was manufactured. Broken wires of this type may show up as a hairline crack in the wire. If a broken wire of this type is suspected, further inspection with a magnifying glass of 7 power or greater, is recommended."
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Inadequate inspection
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 89 hours in all; 82 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 33 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,168 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2008; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHV Lock Haven PA at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 5G8 Jeannette PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,605 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from LBE, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 MIA08LA168.