Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing.
NTSB analysis
The flight instructor stated that he was acting as a safety pilot for the newly certificated pilot, who was getting familiar with the airplane. They had flow five or six circuits around the traffic pattern and subsequently landed on runway 13. When the airplane was just above taxi speed, it began drifting to the right. The pilot used full left rudder and "stomped on the brake." The airplane veered to the left and then the right wingtip contacted the ground. The outboard one-quarter of the right wing was crumpled and the right main landing gear collapsed under the fuselage. The flight instructor stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN20CA222 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jun 8, 2020
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Lancaster, Texas
- Nearest airport
- Lancaster Rgnl (LNC)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Piper PA 15
- N-number
- N4123H
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
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.