# NTSB DEN00LA014: Piper PA-18-150, N4285Z, Bullfrog, UT, November 2, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 2, 1999, 16:50 local (23:50 UTC) - Place: Bullfrog, UT - Coordinates: 37.569458, -110.320823 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.5695&lon=-110.3208&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 22, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 47710 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN00LA014 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/47710/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN00LA014 ## Probable cause The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain directional control of the aircraft during landing roll. Factors were the pilot's lack of total experience in type of aircraft and the fence. ## 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 maintained, pilot in command (cause) - lack of total experience in type of aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor) - On ground/water collision with object, landing - roll - object - fence (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot's landing on runway 19 was normal and the wind was calm. During landing roll, the aircraft departed the runway to the right, traveled down a 10 degree embankment and struck a fence. The pilot said he applied left rudder pressure without effect. According to an FAA inspector who interviewed the pilot following the accident, the pilot told him that he may have inadvertently applied pressure to the rudder pedal rather than to the brake. A functional test of the rudder and brake system was performed and no discrepancies were noted. The pilot had accumulated a total of 7 hours in the PA-18-150, 2 of which were as pilot-in-command. He had received his tailwheel endorsement on the day of the accident. ## Factual narrative On November 2, 1999, approximately 1650 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-18-150, N4285Z, was substantially damaged when it departed the side of the runway and collided with a fence during landing roll at Bullfrog Basin Airport, Bullfrog, Utah. The private pilot and airline transport pilot certificated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a VFR flight plan had been filed for the personal cross-country flight being conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated from Canyonlands Field Airport, Moab, Utah, at 1445. According to the pilot, prior to landing at Bullfrog airport, he contacted the airport's UNICOM (Universal Integrated Communication) frequency and requested an airport advisory. He was told that the preferred runway was 19. He approached the airport for landing from the southeast and noticed that the windsock indicated the wind was calm. The pilot stated that the downwind, base and final approach segments to runway 19 were "normal." He landed the aircraft just past the runway threshold. The main wheels touched down first, followed by the tail wheel. According to the pilot, the aircraft continued in a normal landing roll, then veered to the right. The airplane departed the runway and traveled down a 10 degree embankment, impacting a fence and sustaining damage to the horizontal stabilizer, both right wing struts, the nose cowling, and propeller. The pilot stated in his accident report that during landing rollout, he applied left rudder pressure "without effect." The pilot was interviewed by an FAA inspector following the accident. According to the inspector, the pilot told him that he may have inadvertently applied pressure to the rudder pedal rather than to the brake. A functional test of the rudder and brake system was performed at the facilities of the Spanish Fork Flying Service, Spanish Fork, Utah. No discrepancies were noted. According to the pilot's accident report, he had accumulated a total of 7 hours in the PA-18-150, 2 of which were as pilot-in-command. A review of the pilot's logbook revealed that the pilot had received his FAR 61.31(i) endorsement to act as pilot-in-command of a tailwheel airplane on the day of the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4285Z](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4285Z), registered now, S/N 18-8534, built 1967 (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: 18-8534 - Airframe hours: 2200 - Engines: Lycoming O-320-B2B 150 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: James M. Elegante - Registered owner: Craig L. Young - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, May 24, 1999, 119 hours before - Departed: CNY, MOAB, UT - Destination: U07 - Flight plan: VFR - Airport: U07, Bullfrog Basin Airport, runway 19, 3,500 × 40 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 52; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: front; flight hours: 1,085 total, 7 in this make and model, 935 as pilot in command, 24 in the last 90 days, 11 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 70 °F ## 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 19991102030969A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19991102030969A), Nov 2, 1999: Piper PA18150, Glen Canyon Nat, UT, Substantial damage. (.19) On November 2, 1999, approximately 1650 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-18-150, N4285Z, was substantially damaged when it departed the side of the… 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.