Piper PA-18-150 N115HP

Summary

On 9 August 2003 at about 19:00 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N115HP was involved in an accident near Rapids, Montana, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 August 2003 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Rapids, Montana, United States

Coordinates

45.6117, -109.1050

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N115HP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greybull → Park City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA03LA166

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the landing gear tire valve stem and the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. The deflation of the tire and rough/uneven terrain were factors.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he over flew his intended landing site, a gravel road to determine its condition and the direction of the prevailing winds. He then made a standard traffic pattern entry landing to the east. The pilot reported that the gravel road was 25 feet wide, down sloping to the east and 1,000 feet in length that was "slightly winding." During the landing roll (decelerating through about 35-40 mph), the pilot determined that the aircraft was drifting right and he began correcting for the drift. He then noticed that the right tire was deflated and rolling on the rim. The aircraft's right wheel entered a shallow ditch at the edge of the road and the aircraft then departed the landing surface and traveled over rough down sloping terrain before nosing over and coming to rest inverted. The pilot, who held a mechanic's license, reported that upon examining the right wheel following the accident he found the wheel's valve stem to be broken.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.