No fatalities

21 Jun 2018: Piper PA18 — Llano, TX

Llano, TX, United States

On 21 Jun 2018, a Piper PA18 was involved in an aviation accident near Llano, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's receiving instruction’s improper landing flare and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A tailwheel-equipped airplane receiving instruction sustained substantial fuselage damage after an aerodynamic stall during landing. The pilot reported abrupt touchdown and left lean; the instructor noted the pilot leveled off too high and airspeed decreased.

Accident Details

A tailwheel-equipped airplane was involved in an instructional flight when, during landing, the aircraft touched down abruptly. After touchdown, the pilot taxied to the edge of the runway and observed that the airplane was leaning to the left.

Pilot and Instructor Reports

The pilot receiving instruction reported that the airplane touched down abruptly. He further stated that upon taxiing to the runway edge, he noticed the airplane leaning left.

The flight instructor reported that the pilot leveled off approximately 3 feet above the ground and allowed the airspeed to decrease. The instructor then instructed the pilot to add power in order to "cushion the landing." The pilot attempted to add power, but the airplane continued to decelerate until it aerodynamically stalled and landed hard on the left main landing gear.

Aircraft Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Student/instructed pilotCapability exceededLanding flare — Not attained/maintainedAirspeed — Not attained/maintained