Piper PA 18-150 N9683P

Summary

On 26 January 2014 at about 00:00 local time, a Piper PA 18-150 registered N9683P was involved in an accident near Willcox, Arizona, 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

26 January 2014 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Willcox, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

32.4156, -110.1511

Aircraft

Piper PA 18-150

Registration

N9683P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tucson → Willcox

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14CA109

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's decision to land off airport on unsuitable terrain that resulted in a collision with hidden objects.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he and his father had flown to the accident location to camp and hunt. They made three passes over an open area to find a suitable landing spot. The pilot stated that the grass appeared to be knee-to-hip height, but he believed it was safe to land. He set up for landing, and on the landing rollout, about 20-30 knots, the left main landing gear wheel struck an unseen, large embedded boulder that collapsed the left main landing gear. The airplane's wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.