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NTSB Identification: LAX06LA036
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, November 15, 2005 in Lincoln, CA
Aircraft: Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR, registration: N56038
Injuries: 1 Serious.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On November 15, 2005 at 1540 Pacific standard time, a Ryan Aeronautical ST3KR (Ryan PT22) airplane, N56038, impacted terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering near Lincoln, California. The airline transport pilot/owner operated the airplane under the auspices of 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, received serious injuries, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the local area flight that originated from the Lincoln Regional Airport around 1520.

The airplane was a training aircraft built in 1941 for the U.S. Army. The National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge interviewed another pilot who was flying his own PT22 airplane with the accident pilot when the accident transpired. The other pilot was flying above and behind the accident airplane when he observed the airplane make a left turn. He wasn't sure why the accident pilot was turning to the left, but followed and observed the left wing bobble and the nose drop in a stall. The accident pilot recovered, but the left wing bobbled and dropped again in what appeared to be another stall. The airplane was heading toward a rice field, but the pilot pulled out and impacted the ground hard in a near wings level attitude.

According to the other pilot, he spoke to the accident pilot at the hospital. The accident pilot reported he was having trouble maintaining airspeed.

The airplane came to rest inverted in the field. The engine was separated from the engine mount and the two wooden propeller blades were shattered outboard of their roots. The left wing was folded aft, adjacent to the side of the airplane's fuselage. According to the Federal Aviation Administrator inspector who responded to the accident site, he was able to verify flight control continuity, and continuity from the cockpit to the engine carburetor. The wreckage was transported to Plain Parts, Sacramento, California, where it will be examined in more detail.

Too bad. First rule of PT-22 flying is keep the speed up or it will do exactly as this one did. The USAAC decided that the PT-20 was too stable for primary training so the PT-21 and 22 were redesigned with the wing sweep, it exagerates the stall at low speed.

Hope the pilot has a full recovery.