LAX88LA024

NTSB accident investigation · Piper PA-18-150 · Palo Alto, CA · October 24, 1987

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report

Date: October 24, 1987, 09:22 local (16:22 UTC)
Place: Palo Alto, CA
Injuries: 1 uninjured
Damage: Substantial damage
Phase of flight: Landing
Aircraft: N3181ZPiper PA-18-150
Weather: Visual (VMC) · Day
Status: Completed · report April 24, 1989
Report: Approved by Office Director
FAA report: 19871024079809A
Case key: 25891

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

Loss of control - on ground/waterLanding - roll

Directional control - not maintainedPilot in commandCause

Lack of total experience in type of aircraftPilot in commandFactor

Nose downLanding - roll

Analysis

During a local flt while practicing touch and go landings, the plt lost control of the acft during the landing rollout. The acft groundlooped to the left, exited the rwy and nosed down.

Aircraft

Registration: N3181Z
Reported as: Piper PA-18-150
Category: Airplane
Serial number: 187172
Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage: Substantial damage
Flight: Personal · Part 91
Operator: White, John R.
Registered owner: White, John R
Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
Airport: PAO · Palo Alto, runway 30, 2,500 × 65 ft, asphalt

N3181ZRegistration cancelled Sep 27, 2012 · Piper PA-18-150S/N 18-7172 · Built 1959 Airframe modelPiper PA-18-150 Engine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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
Certificate: Private
Airplane ratings: Single-engine land
Medical: Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Flight hours: 273 total · 32 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions: Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind: Calm
Visibility: 15 statute miles
Lowest ceiling: 20,000 ft broken
Temperature: 63 °F
Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Observed at: PAO

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 19871024079809APiper PA18150 · Palo Alto, CALost control and ground looped on the landing roll. Stopped nose down on the runway.Oct 24, 1987 · N3181Z · Substantial damage