- Date
- October 15, 2025, 14:57 local (19:57 UTC)
- Place
- Reserve, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N82016Piper PA18
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 9, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20251015016559A
- Case key
- 201865
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 pilot’s inadvertent application of the wheel brakes after touchdown.
Findings · 1
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 pilot reported that on his fourth landing after the airplane touched down, he accidentally bumped the brakes causing the airplane to nose over and come to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, vertical stabilizer, and rudder. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82016
- Reported as
- Piper PA18 (150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7909052
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 3,179.2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 12, 2025 · 17 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- APS · Port Of South Louisiana Exec Rgnl, runway 35, 5,151 × 75 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Angle of attack indicator, 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 17, 2024
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 119.4 total · 14.7 in this make and model · 74.3 as pilot in command · 24.1 in the last 90 days · 18.7 in the last 30 days · 1.2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KAPS
- METAR
- KAPS 151955Z AUTO 12007KT 10SM CLR 31/14 A2998 RMK A02 T03140139
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 9, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.4 MB in all.
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 N82016 · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.