# NTSB CHI04CA247: Piper PA-18-150, N91042, Grant, NE, September 4, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: September 4, 2004, 13:20 local (19:20 UTC) - Place: Grant, NE - Coordinates: 40.869445, -101.73278 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.8694&lon=-101.7328&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 3, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 60182 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI04CA247 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/60182/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI04CA247 ## Probable cause Directional control not attained and the control interference encountered by the pilot during landing roll. The ditch was a contributing factor. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - directional control - not attained, pilot in command (cause) - control interference - encountered, pilot in command (cause) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - ditch (contributing factor) ## Analysis The public-use flight veered off the left side of the runway during landing roll. The pilot stated the winds were calm. He applied right rudder but was unable to correct the drift to the left. He then applied additional right rudder and his boot became jammed by the heel brakes. The airplane departed off the runway edge and impacted a ditch. ## Factual narrative On September 4, 2004, at 1320 mountain daylight time, A Piper PA-18-150, N91042, operated by the Nebraska State Patrol, impacted terrain during landing roll on runway 33 (4,800 feet by 60 feet, dry concrete) at Grant Municipal Airport (GGF), Grant, Nebraska. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 public-use flight was not operating on a flight plan. The commercial pilot was injured. The flight originated from Searle Field Airport (OGA), Ogallala, Nebraska, and was en route to GGF. The pilot stated the winds were calm to 360 degrees at three knots. He made a three a wheel landing and after "slowing considerably" the tailwheel contacted the runway. He continued the landing rollout with the first notch of flaps extended and experienced a "gently left drifting movement". He applied right rudder but was unable to correct the drift to the left. He applied more right rudder and felt the back edge of his left boot being pushed against the metal plate attached to the floor where the heel brakes pass through the floor. He pulled his left boot away from the hole and because of the right rudder pressure, he entered the grass on the right side of the runway. Upon entering the grass, the tail rotated clockwise and the airplane slid sideways into a two-foot deep ditch at the north end of the runway. Due to the depth of the ditch, the left main landing gear dropped down allowing the left wing to drop and impact the ground. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N91042](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N91042), registered now, S/N 18-8109067, built 1981 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-18-150 - Registry model: [Piper PA-18-150](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18-150) (registry code 7101828) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming 0-320 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (registry code 41508, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18-8109067 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-A2B reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Public aircraft, Public use - Registered owner: Nebraska State Patrol - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: OGA, Ogallala, NE - Destination: GGF, Grant, NE ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 34; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2; flight hours: 2,367 total, 65 in this make and model, 132 in the last 90 days, 60 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20040904022609A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040904022609A), Sep 4, 2004: Piper PA18150, Gran, NE, Substantial damage. (-23) On the roll out from a wheel landing on runway 33 at Grant, NE, the pilot said that his left boot heel was wedged between the left rudder pedal and the… ## Other investigations on N91042 (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 CEN26LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26LA013), Oct 2, 2025: Piper PA-18-150 (N91042), Chaseley, ND, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s excessive braking during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose over. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.