Piper PA-18A N1953P

Summary

On 30 September 1995 at about 21:15 local time, a Piper PA-18A registered N1953P, operated by Linden J. Butikofer, was involved in an accident near Roberts, Idaho, United States. 4 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 September 1995 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Roberts, Idaho, United States

Nearest airport

Private

Coordinates

43.7292, -112.2601

Aircraft

Piper PA-18A

Registration

N1953P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Linden J. Butikofer

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA95LA229

3 people had minor injuries.

an improperly performed major rebuild and inadequate inspection of the aircraft by maintenance personnel. Inadequate preflight inspection by the pilot contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that while landing on his private airstrip the left main wheel separated from the aircraft and the aircraft nosed over. According to a county sheriff report, the left main wheel retaining nut and cotter pin were missing from the axle, and there was no cotter pin securing the right main wheel retaining nut. The airplane had undergone a major rebuild and annual inspection about 5 months (12 flight hours) before the accident. The pilot stated that he performed a preflight inspection on the day of the accident but did not check the cotter pins, which are visible if installed. A statement in the sheriff report indicated that shortly before landing, the adult passenger in the rear seat unfastened his seat belt because two children in his lap were interfering with control stick travel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.