Piper PA-22/20 accident near Medford, Oregon, October 2, 2004
On October 2, 2004, a Piper PA-22/20, registered N2849Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Medford, Oregon. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions during landing, resulting in his failure to maintain directional control. Factors include the presence of crosswinds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 2004
- Place
- Medford, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22/20 · all PA-22/20s on the register
- Registration
- N2849Z · registry record · serial 22-6845
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings in crosswind conditions, and during his first landing there was a 40 degree crosswind at five knots. As he was cleared for his second landing, the tower advised him that the wind had changed direction and speed, and he was therefore landing in a 60 degree crosswind of seven knots. During his second landing, he relaxed his "cross control input" too much during the landing flare, and the aircraft's left wing began to lift. He therefore elected to execute a go-around, but as he added power the aircraft began rotating to the left. He therefore elected to try to put the aircraft back onto the runway, but as it touched down, the aircraft was not aligned with the runway, and it therefore quickly veered to the left. As the aircraft departed the side of the runway, the tip of its right wing came in contact with the terrain resulting in substantial damage to the wings internal structure. According to the pilot, there was nothing wrong with the aircraft, and the accident was simply a result of his failure to adequately control the aircraft in the crosswind conditions.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 409 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MFR Medford OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- 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.
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 SEA05CA003.