Piper Aircraft INC PA-28-181 accident near Scottsdale, Arizona, January 21, 2026
On January 21, 2026 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 2021 Piper Aircraft INC PA-28-181, registered N505AF, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing (engine(s) start-up) near Scottsdale, Arizona (Scottsdale Airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot’s failure to properly adjust their seat and failure to set the parking brake before engine start, which resulted in a collision with parked vehicles.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 2026 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Scottsdale, Arizona · Scottsdale Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper Aircraft INC PA-28-181, built 2021
- Registration
- N505AF · registry record · serial 28020005
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was preparing for an instructional flight and, at the instructor's request, completed a preflight inspection of the airplane on the ramp while the instructor was inside completing dispatch paperwork. The student then entered the cockpit, where she prepared fro a cold start as it was the airplane’s first flight of the day. Prior to the engine start, she performed the engine start checklist; however, she did not set the parking brake, as she assumed it had been engaged when the airplane was parked the previous evening. Upon engine start, the airplane rolled forward. The student pilot attempted to stop the airplane but was unable to apply brake pressure because the seat was not properly adjusted, and she could not fully reach the brake pedals. Subsequently, the airplane collided with two unoccupied parked vehicles which resulted in substantial damage to both wings. Postaccident examination of the airplane by maintenance personnel revealed that the parking brake was not fully set. According to the flight school's chief instructor, the company's standard procedure is to keep the parking brake disengaged while the airplane is parked overnight. The flight school reported that it used the airplane manufacturer’s Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) checklist for preflight and engine-starting procedures. The POH “Before Starting Engine” checklist specifies adjusting the seat position as step three and setting the parking brake as step six. The chief instructor also stated that it had always been assumed that students would wait for their flight instructors before starting the airplane’s engine.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Ground collision during standing (engine(s) start-up) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 41 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 16.5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,027.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 13, 2026; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-B4A (piston); 6,809 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SDL Scottsdale AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: vv; clear
- Temperature: 7°F (-14°C), dew point -1°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 8:30 am from SDL
Weather report (METAR): KSDL 211453Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 07/M01 A3014 RMK AO2 SLP197 T00721011 51012
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 5 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – View of aircraft from the front, post recovery
Photograph 2 – Left-wing leading-edge damage
Photograph 3 – Left-wing leading-edge damage
Photograph 4 – Right-wing leading-edge damage
Photograph 5 – Right-wing leading-edge damageThe 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
8 documents, released by the NTSB on May 14, 2026. 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 - Pilot | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 Flight School | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Flight School | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photos | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Video File #1 | video | View Download |
| 7 | Video File #2 | ASF file | Download |
| 8 | Poh- Normal Procedures/before Starting Engine- Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.