- Date
- June 22, 2020, 13:34 local (17:34 UTC)
- Place
- Monroe, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3681ZPiper PA18
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200622008339A
- Case key
- 101476
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 inadequate assessment of the landing area, which resulted in the airplane's encounter with tall weeds during landing and a subsequent nose-over.
Findings · 4
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 he was returning to his farm and performed both high and low "reconnaissance flights" over the farm field before landing. He stated the landing was normal until the airplane struck some taller weeds in the field and nosed over, substantially damaging the tail. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He stated that he had not expected the weeds to be so high and that cutting all vegetation in the landing area might have prevented the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he was returning to his farm and performed both high and low "reconnaissance flights" over the farm field before landing. He stated the landing was normal until the airplane struck some taller weeds in the field and nosed over, substantially damaging the tail. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He stated that he had not expected the weeds to be so high and that cutting all vegetation in the landing area might have prevented the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3681Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA18 (150)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-7410
- Built
- 1960
- Airframe hours
- 2,665.9
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 A3B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 13, 2020 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- EQY · Monroe, NC
- Destination
- Monroe, NC
- Airport
- EQY · Charlotte-Monroe Executive
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic multifunction display, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 14, 2019
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,437.3 total · 300.1 in this make and model · 2,299.3 as pilot in command · 38.2 in the last 90 days · 23.5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- EQY, 2 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 9, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.0 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.