Piper PA 18A N1952P

Summary

On 30 March 2014 at about 16:15 local time, a Piper PA 18A registered N1952P was involved in an accident near Wheatland, Wyoming, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 March 2014 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Wheatland, Wyoming, United States

Coordinates

42.0531, -104.9239

Aircraft

Piper PA 18A

Registration

N1952P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1955

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wheatland → Wheatland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14CA152

Nobody was injured.

The front seat pilot's excessive approach speed and subsequent brake application during the landing which resulted in a nose-over. Contributing to the accident was the instructor's failure to maintain situational awareness.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor/owner and pilot rated passenger departed the local airport in a tailwheel-equipped airplane, to inspect ranch property and livestock. The flight instructor was in the rear seat of the tandem cockpit airplane. The pilots planned to land in a pasture to check on livestock, and the pilot in the front seat was on the controls. They agreed on a suitable landing area, and during the approach the instructor's forward visibility was limited, and he failed to see that they were carrying excess airspeed and had progressed too far down the airstrip for a normal landing. The front-seat pilot, seeing the end of the airstrip approaching rapidly, applied the brakes sharply. The instructor directed the pilot to "relax" and allow the tail to settle. The brakes abruptly grabbed a second time and the tail came up sharply, causing the propeller to strike the ground. The airplane slid on its nose, veered left, and flipped onto its back. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.