Piper PA-18-150 N7949

Summary

On 24 October 2011 at about 22:40 local time, a Piper PA-18-150 registered N7949, operated by Thermo King of Fargo & Isuzu Diesel Midwest, Inc., was involved in an accident near West Fargo, North Dakota, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 October 2011 at 22:40

Classification

Accident

Location

West Fargo, North Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Jacob Gust Airport (NA17)

Coordinates

46.9428, -96.9289

Aircraft

Piper PA-18-150

Registration

N7949

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Thermo King of Fargo & Isuzu Diesel Midwest, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fargo → West Fargo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12CA042

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's excessive use of brakes during the landing roll before the tailwheel had made sustained contact with the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was practicing a short-field landing in the tailwheel-equipped airplane when the accident occurred. He stated that after touchdown he applied too much brake pressure while the tailwheel was still off the ground and the airplane subsequently nosed over. The airplane came to rest inverted and sustained substantial damage to the firewall, aft fuselage structure, left and right wing struts, and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded the normal operation of the airplane. He further noted that the accident could have been prevented had he not applied the brakes until the tailwheel had made sustained contact with the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.