Boeing A75N1(PT17) accident near Petaluma, California, October 15, 2022
On October 15, 2022 at about 9:33 pm local time, a 1942 Boeing A75N1(PT17), registered N42PT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Petaluma, California (Petaluma Muni 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 pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing in gusting wind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 2022 · about 9:33 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Petaluma, California · Petaluma Muni · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing A75N1(PT17), built 1942 · all A75N1(PT17)s on the register
- Registration
- N42PT · registry record · serial 75-8387
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during landing roll, he let “the control column go to a neutral position” after touchdown, and a gust of wind raised the left wing. The airplane veered off the runway to the right, subsequently colliding with a windsock and coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,384 hours in all; 395 in this make and model; 105 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 6,152 as pilot in command; 1,120 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 3, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 3, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,755 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R-755B2M (piston); 1,800 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 3,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
Weather report (METAR): METAR KDVO 151935Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM OVC020 20/13 A2990 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 30, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N42PT on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Boeing A75 Stearman Kaydet 978 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Boeing 6,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Jacobs R-755B2M 13 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Petaluma Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,069 since 1982 · 1,087 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR23LA014.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.