20260909012199A

Accident · Minor damage

FAA accident report · Piper PA-18-150 · Moses Lake, WA · September 9, 2026

Date
September 9, 2026 · 17:30 local
Place
Moses Lake, WA
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N9678P
NTSB investigation
NTSBWPR26LA336
Reported as
Piper PA-18-150
Reported engine
Lycoming O320-A2B
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours
2,500 total45 in this make and model110 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Attempted landing on a sand dune in potholes reservoir. Touched down on a berm just in front of the place he was shooting for, which launched the aircraft up then came down, hitting its nose then flipping over.

As the FAA filed it

ATTEMPTED LANDING ON A SAND DUNE IN POTHOLES RESERVOIR. TOUCHED DOWN ON A BERM JUST IN FRONT OF THE PLACE HE WAS SHOOTING FOR, WHICH LAUNCHED THE AIRCRAFT UP THEN CAME DOWN, HITTING ITS NOSE THEN FLIPPING OVER.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

Other reports on N9678P · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.