CEN26FA325

On September 27, 2026, about 1608 central daylight time, an experimental PA-18 Replica airplane, N43LK, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Buffalo, Minnesota. The pilot was fatally injured, and the pilot-rated passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A witness reported that the airplane took off from runway 18 and appeared to be climbing at a steep angle. He described the engine sound as “loud.” Shortly afterward, the airplane rolled off and entered a steep descent before impacting the ground. Figure 1 – Airplane at accident site. Initial ground impressions were consistent with a nose-down impact at the north edge of taxiway A1. The airplane came to rest at the taxiway A1 hold short line which was about 27 ft southwest from the initial impact and oriented on a southeast heading. The wings were dislocated and resting in position relative to the fuselage. Both wings exhibited leading edge crushing damage along the entire span. The engine was displaced upward relative to the fuselage, and the cockpit area was compromised. The aft fuselage was oriented upward with the empennage intact. The flight control surfaces remained attached to the airframe. The control cables were secured to the respective control surfaces. They were continuous to the wing roots, for the ailerons and flaps, and to the cockpit area for the elevators and rudder. Flight control cable separations were retained for further examination. FAA records revealed that the airplane was issued an experimental special airworthiness certificate on June 25, 2026. The records listed no flight time (0.0 hours) for the airplane as a newly constructed aircraft when the certificate was issued. Current flight time for the airplane was not available at the time of accident. FAA records also revealed that the pilot was issued a private pilot certificate on August 12, 2026. At that time, he had logged 75.8 hours total flight time with 17.2 hours of pilot-in-command and 5.2 hours of tailwheel airplane flight time. His logbook contained a tailwheel airplane endorsement. No flight time was logged subsequent to the issuance of his private pilot certificate.