No fatalities

25 Aug 2014: PIPER PA 18A 150 A150 — WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY — Walla Walla, WA

Walla Walla, WA, United States

On 25 Aug 2014, a PIPER PA 18A 150 A150 operated by WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY was involved in an aviation accident near Walla Walla, WA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's misjudged approach which resulted in overshooting the landing point and insufficient remaining landing surface. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 14 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot intentionally ground-looped a tailwheel airplane after touching down long in an open field to avoid a ravine, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing.

Incident Overview

A pilot reported that during an off-airport landing attempt, the tailwheel-equipped airplane touched down longer than intended in an open field. The pilot stated that the field had been overflown beforehand and was determined to be of sufficient length with a suitable landing surface.

Sequence of Events

According to the pilot, the landing rollout extended beyond the planned touchdown point. To prevent the airplane from traveling into a ravine located at the end of the field, the pilot intentionally executed a ground loop. During this maneuver, the left wing sustained substantial damage.

Aircraft and Operational Details

The pilot confirmed that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The airplane was a tailwheel-equipped design, and the landing was conducted in an open field selected by the pilot for off-airport operations.

Damage Assessment

The accident sequence resulted in substantial damage to the left wing of the airplane. No other damage was reported in the pilot's account.

Contributing factors

PilotDescent/approach/glide path — Not attained/maintainedCapability exceeded