Piper PA-22-20-150 accident near Auburn, Washington, August 24, 2006
On August 24, 2006 at about 1:45 am local time, a Piper PA-22-20-150, registered N8042D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Auburn, Washington (Auburn Municipal Airport). It was an instructional 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's delayed remedial action during the landing roll in response to the student's loss of directional control, which resulted in a ground loop. A factor associated with the accident was the student's failure to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 2006 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Auburn, Washington · Auburn Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-20-150 · all PA-22-20-150s on the register
- Registration
- N8042D · registry record · serial 22-5567
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the initial tailwheel and refresher flight training, the left seat owner/pilot lost control of the airplane on the landing roll. The subsequent delayed remedial action by the right seat instructor pilot resulted in the airplane ground looping, causing substantial damage to the airplane.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 5,862 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 134 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S50 Auburn WA
- Destination: S50 Auburn WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N8042D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.