Piper PA-18 N8183C

Summary

On 10 February 2021 at about 23:30 local time, a Piper PA-18 registered N8183C was involved in an accident near Lake Placid, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one 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

10 February 2021 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Placid, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Placid lakes (09FA)

Coordinates

27.2450, -81.4140

Aircraft

Piper PA-18

Registration

N8183C

Category

Airplane

Year built

1954

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA131

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to ensure that the aft seat cushion was adequately secured, which resulted in its movement, subsequent interference with the flight controls, and a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tandem seat-equipped airplane was high while on final approach to land, so he induced a slip to lose altitude before landing. Due to the forward pitch of the airplane during the slip, the aft seat cushion slid forward and lodged between the seat frame and control stick. The pilot the applied back pressure on the control stick to flare the airplane and slow the descent, but the control stick was blocked by the aft seat cushion. The airplane continued to descend, which resulted in a hard landing and substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.