Piper PA-22-135 N3268B accident near Twin Bridges, Montana

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during an aborted landing, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.

NTSB analysis

According to the student pilot, he entered a cross-control slip to the right on short final to descend. About 150 ft agl, the airplane was trimmed for landing with flaps applied, but the nose of the airplane remained oriented to the right of the runway centerline, and he aborted the landing. The student was instructed to lower the nose to increase the airspeed, but the airplane continued to turn right, and the flight instructor came on the flight controls.

The flight instructor reported that he immediately reduced the angle of attack and executed standard stall recovery techniques. The airplane continued to descend and touched down on rising unimproved terrain with a left sideload. The left main and the nose landing gear collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing ribs, spar and aileron.

Post-accident examination of the airplane’s primary flight controls revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR22LA321 for the full record.