Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing flare, which resulted in the airplane impacting a rice field and nosing over.
NTSB analysis
The pilot reported that while on short final to the unlit airstrip; during the flare, he lost sight of the runway and the airplane veered to the right, impacted a rice field, and nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and lift strut.
The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation
The pilot stated that the accident may have been mitigated if he would have landed on a lit runway and conducted a wheel landing instead of a three point landing, which would have allowed him to maintain a visual of the runway until his main wheels where on the ground.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA15CA114 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jun 10, 2015
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Tollville, Arkansas
- Nearest airport
- Private Airstrip (Unkn)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Night, dark
Piper PA 16
- N-number
- N5735H
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1949
- 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.