- Date
- February 10, 2021, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Placid, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N8183CPiper PA-18
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Flight control sys malf/fail
- 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
- 20210210016159A
- Case key
- 102640
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 failure to ensure that the aft seat cushion was adequately secured, which resulted in its movement, subsequent interference with the flight controls, and a hard landing.
Findings · 2
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 of the tandem seat-equipped airplane was high while on final approach to land, so he induced a slip to lose altitude before landing. Due to the forward pitch of the airplane during the slip, the aft seat cushion slid forward and lodged between the seat frame and control stick. The pilot the applied back pressure on the control stick to flare the airplane and slow the descent, but the control stick was blocked by the aft seat cushion. The airplane continued to descend, which resulted in a hard landing and substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8183C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-3642
- Built
- 1954
- Airframe hours
- 4,111
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 09FA · Placid lakes, runway 36, 2,723 × 55 ft, grass/turf
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
- 31
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 7, 2021
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 96 total · 28 in this make and model · 39 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- SEF, 13 nm away
- METAR
- KSEF 102355Z AUTO 13004KT 10SM CLR 25/17 A3009 RMK AO2 T02450175 10293 20245 402930176
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 15, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.7 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.