Piper PA-22-160 accident near Phoenix, Arizona, March 18, 2010
On March 18, 2010 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-160, registered N8830D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Arpt 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 student pilot's inadequate compensation for the quartering tailwind during landing and the flight instructor's delay in taking remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 2010 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Arpt · 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
- N8830D · no longer on the register · serial 22-6000
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor said that he was giving the student pilot a final instructional flight before his Federal Aviation Administration private pilot certificate check ride. The student was flying the airplane and they were cleared for the option to runway 30L; the wind was from 180 degrees at 7 knots. The flight instructor alerted the student to the left quartering tailwind for the landing. The touchdown was normal, but as the airplane slowed it began to drift left. Both pilots applied right rudder and then left rudder; however, directional control was lost and the airplane ground-looped. The left wing impacted the runway, bending and wrinkling the wing. Additionally, the aft fuselage was bent and wrinkled near the tailwheel.
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 (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Response/compensation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,258 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 25, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 157 hours in all; 157 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,891 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 15, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHD Chandler AZ at 4:30 pm
- Destination: CHD Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 30L, 10,401 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 45 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 5:08 pm from IWA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.