North American T-28B accident near Puyallup, Washington, August 12, 2021
On August 12, 2021 at about 9:43 pm local time, a 1955 North American T-28B, registered N392W, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Puyallup, Washington (Pierce County - Thun Field). 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
A nose wheel shimmy during the landing roll for reasons that could not be determined from the available evidence, which led to a loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2021 · about 9:43 pm local time
- Place
- Puyallup, Washington · Pierce County - Thun Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American T-28B, built 1955 · all T-28Bs on the register
- Registration
- N392W · registry record · serial 138314
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after touchdown the nose wheel started to shimmy, and he was not able to steer the airplane. The airplane veered to the left side of the runway as the pilot continued to try and steer away from the edge of the runway using the right brake. When the left main landing gear wheel went off the edge of the runway, he initiated the emergency procedures to retract the landing gear, shut down the engine and open the canopy. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the nose wheel steering components and the hydraulic shimmy damper appeared to remain intact and attached to their respective mounts. The shimmy damper piston rod was actuated by hand and found to compress and extend normally. No hydraulic fluid leaks were observed on the damper. No evidence of a pre-accident mechanical failure or malfunction was revealed that would have precluded normal operation. The reason for the nose wheel shimmy could not be determined from available evidence.
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
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Shimmy damper › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 560 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 19, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,683 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 21, 2020; 49 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Curtis Wright R-1820-86 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Buno 138314 LLC
The flight
- Departed from: TKE Truckee CA at 12:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,651 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:30 pm from PLU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 WPR21LA318.