Probable cause
The pilot did not maintain directional control during the landing roll.
NTSB analysis
The pilot had just performed two uneventful practice landings in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. For the third attempt, he performed a three-point landing, and the airplane began to drift left. He countered with full engine power, but the airplane drifted beyond the runway edge. The landing gear then struck a berm, and the airplane bounced into the air, snagging a barbed wire fence. The main landing gear subsequently dug into the earth, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and both wings during the accident sequence. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR12CA177 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Apr 20, 2012
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Sierraville, California
- Nearest airport
- Sierraville (O79)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Piper PA-18-150
- N-number
- N8451Y
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.