# Accident 20030407004629A: Piper PA18, Moran, TX, April 7, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 7, 2003, 17:00 local time
- Place: Moran, TX
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.5075° N, 99.2078° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.5075&lon=-99.2078&mi=10
- Aircraft: N18141, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N18141) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-18 (registry code 7101802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA18
- Pilot flight hours: 600 total, 200 in this make and model, 40 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW03LA126](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW03LA126) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030407004629A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON APRIL 7, 2003 AT 17:00 HRS. A PIPER PA-18-150, N18141, OWNED AND OPERATED BY ROBERT B. BUTLER, HOLDER OF PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE NO. 1665446, WAS DAMAGED DURING THE LANDING PHASE OF THE PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING VMC WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LOCATED 3.2 MILES NW OF MORAN TEXAS ON A PRIVATE UNIMPROVED GRASS STRIP ADJACENT TO THE PILOTS DEER LEASE. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL FLIGHT. THE FLIGHT HAD ORIGINATED FROM THE SAME PRIVATE STRIP. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING TIP BOW RIB AND VARIOUS AREAS OF THE FABRIC COVERING. NO INJURIES OCCURRED TO THE PILOT WHO WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRCRAFT. AIRMAN COUNSELED ON OPERATION FROM PRIVATE, UNIMPROVED RUNWAYS.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW03LA126](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW03LA126), Apr 7, 2003: Piper PA-18 (N18141), Moran, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: Landing short of the runway due to the pilot's failure to maintain a proper glide path, which resulted in the airplane impacting a tree. A contributing factor was the short runway.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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