Pilot Debrief

Piper PA22 near Pinedale, WY — 2020-03-16

Final reportWPR20LA110
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Date
2020-03-16
Location
Pinedale, WY, USA
Airport
PNA
Aircraft
Piper PA22
Registration
N4837Z
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

A loss of airplane control during approach for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot reported that he was drifting to the right while on approach to land when the flight instructor took over controls. The flight instructor reported that he applied rudder control inputs; however, the rudder pedals didn’t move for about 6 to 7 seconds and the airplane did not align with the runway. The flight instructor reported that he thought that the glareshield mounted tachometer timing box could have been trapped behind the rudder pedals. The tachometer timing box was located at the accident site and had been thrown from the wreckage. A portion of the instrument panel mounted tachometer housing was found behind the rudder pedals. Further examination of the tachometer gauge revealed damage consisted with impact damage as a result of the accident and did not appear to have interfered with the movement of the rudder pedals. Examination revealed no anomalies with the airframe that would have precluded normal operation. Multiple examinations of the rudder system did not reveal any evidence of a rudder malfunction or jam.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Instructor could have checked for obstructions before taking control.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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