Piper PA-22-108 accident near Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, August 14, 1986
On August 14, 1986 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-108, registered N5888Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania (Skyhaven 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1986 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania · Skyhaven · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-108 · all PA-22-108s on the register
- Registration
- N5888Z · registry record · serial 22-9752
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
STUDENT PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING A LANDING AT SKY HAVEN AIRPORT AND LANDED SHORT, BOUNCED AND LANDED IN A LEFT TURN. AT THIS POINT, THE PLT COULD NOT MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND RAN OFF THE RUNWAY, HIT A BARREL WITH THE RIGHT GEAR AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 11 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,234 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 11, 1986; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Tunkhannock PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,000 ft by 300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.