- Date
- July 3, 2025, 07:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Meeker, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N66898Piper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250703007889A
- Case key
- 200473
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor and student pilot were completing a soft field landing in the tailwheel equipped airplane. The student pilot landed in a 3-point configuration and the airplane bounced so he increased the throttle and applied forward control input. The airplane then turned left, and the student pilot overcorrected to the right. The flight instructor attempted to correct with opposite rudder and brake; however, the airplane exited the right side of the runway, which resulted in a left main landing gear collapse. The left wing subsequently struck the ground and sustained substantial damage. Both pilots reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N66898
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7509091
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 5,522.9
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 10, 2025
- Departed
- KEEO · Meeker, CO
- Destination
- KEEO · Meeker, CO
- Airport
- KEEO · Meeker Airport, runway 03/21, 6,503 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 3, 2024
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 18,784 total · 198 in this make and model · 18,217 as pilot in command · 46 in the last 90 days · 11.5 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 51 total · 49 in this make and model · 11.45 as pilot in command · 27.7 in the last 90 days · 11.5 in the last 30 days · 0.7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 0 ft
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 3013.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KEEO, 0.5 nm away
- METAR
- KEEO 031353Z AUTO 13010KT 10SM CLR 17/06 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP108 T01670061
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N66898 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.