Piper PA 18A 150 N1672P

Summary

On 4 June 2014 at about 18:00 local time, a Piper PA 18A 150 registered N1672P was involved in an accident near Leeds, Utah, United States. 2 people were 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

4 June 2014 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Leeds, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Private (NA)

Coordinates

37.2283, -113.3500

Aircraft

Piper PA 18A 150

Registration

N1672P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1954

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hurricane → Leeds

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14CA228

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to confirm the flaps had been retracted during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of lift and subsequent collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had been familiarizing himself with the operation of the tailwheel-equipped airplane in preparation for utilizing it to provide flight training. During the 2-week period leading up to the accident he had practiced multiple takeoffs, landings, and touch-and-go landings, many of which were performed at the accident airstrip. The pilot reported that he had requested that a volunteer sit in the front seat, so he could familiarize himself with flying from the rear seat. After an uneventful flight, they performed a touch-and-go landing on the dirt airstrip, however, during climb-out the airplane began to rapidly sink. The pilot reported that he asked the passenger to retract the flaps, because the control was positioned next to the front seat. The pilot applied forward elevator control attempting to gain airspeed, but the airplane continued to sink. He elected to perform an off-airport landing on a dirt road just beyond the runway; however, during the landing roll the right wing struck a ditch and sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the passenger had not retracted the flaps as the pilot had instructed and they were in the fully extended position. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.