- Date
- August 21, 2015, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- LaBelle, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N18LPPiper PA 18-150
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Airport occurrence
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 8, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration South Florida FSDO
- FAA report
- 20150821014929A
- Case key
- 91955
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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose over and impact with terrain.
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 of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that he touched down in the grass adjacent to the paved runway. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a low spot in the runway with about 3 to 4 inches of standing water. The wheels dug into the terrain and the airplane nosed over coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and left wing strut. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he should make it standard practice to make an inspection pass of the runway whenever he is landing on turf to determine the condition of the runway.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that he touched down in the grass adjacent to the paved runway. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a low spot in the runway with about 3 to 4 inches of standing water. The wheels dug into the terrain and the airplane nosed over coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and left wing strut. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he should make it standard practice to make an inspection pass of the runway whenever he is landing on turf to determine the condition of the runway.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N18LP
- Reported as
- Piper PA 18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-5501
- Built
- 1957
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Low & Slow Aviation Ventures LLC
- Registered owner
- Low & Slow Aviation Ventures LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 4, 2014
- Departed
- FMY · Fort Myers, FL
- Destination
- X14 · LaBelle, FL
- Airport
- X14 · La Belle Muni, runway 14, 5,254 × 75 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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 23, 2014
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 5,700 total · 250 in this make and model · 3,570 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KRSW, 21 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 1, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 963 KB 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.