Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing.
NTSB analysis
The pilot stated that during landing the airplane's tail began to "oscillate" when it contacted the runway. The airplane then drifted off the right side of the runway and the right main landing gear wheel encountered the adjacent terrain. The airplane nosed over and sustained substantial damage that included wrinkling of the left wing skin, damage to the vertical stabilizer, and damage to the left side of the fuselage near the windshield. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were uninjured. No mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation were noted.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN09CA596 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Sep 19, 2009
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Princeton, Minnesota
- Nearest airport
- Princeton Municipal (PNM)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Aviat Aircraft Inc A-1C-180
- N-number
- N52PH
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.