Piper PA-22-135 N3372A accident near Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Probable cause

A loss of yaw control while on final approach, which resulted in the pilot performing an off-runway landing, and a subsequent nose over. The reason for the loss of yaw control could not be determined based on the available evidence.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported the airplane had recently been purchased by the passenger and they were transporting it to their home location via a cross-country flight. During a planned rest stop, the pilot maneuvered the airplane in the traffic pattern to land. As the pilot turned onto short final, he was attempting to align the airplane with the runway, and he noticed the yaw of the airplane was to the left and “hard.” The pilot made sure the right seat passenger did not have his feet resting on the rudder pedals. The pilot noticed the left rudder pedal was all the way forward against the firewall and he was unable to free it by manipulating the rudder pedals back and forth. The pilot then decided to land parallel to the runway, in dry, tall grass. During the landing, the airplane impacted several saplings, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. The pilot and passenger were able to egress without further incident.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing lift struts, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder. A post-accident examination of the airframe established flight control continuity and no signs of foreign object debris were found lodged in or around the rudder pedals. Pre-accident flight control rigging settings could be not determined due to the airframe damage sustained.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN22LA066 for the full record.