No fatalities

25 May 2019: PIPER PA18 150 — Hoodoo Land Holdings LLC — Cody, WY

Cody, WY, United States

On 25 May 2019, a PIPER PA18 150 operated by Hoodoo Land Holdings LLC was involved in an aviation accident near Cody, WY. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot's improper landing flare in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his subsequent loss of airplane control after overcorrecting with rudder. 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

During a training flight, a student pilot practicing stop and go landings in a tailwheel airplane experienced a bounced landing and overcorrection, leading to the airplane nosing over and coming to rest inverted on the runway.

Incident Summary

A student pilot, under the supervision of a flight instructor, was practicing stop and go landings in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. During the second landing of the training session, the approach deviated from the planned profile, resulting in a bounced touchdown and subsequent loss of directional control. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted on the runway.

Sequence of Events

According to the student pilot's report, on short final, the glide path was lower than normal. To compensate, the student pilot increased the power setting to extend the glide. After crossing the runway threshold, the student flared slightly high and leveled the airplane to avoid a rapid sink rate. The airplane bounced slightly upon touchdown. The student then overcorrected with rudder inputs due to a crosswind, causing the airplane to roll forward and the tail to begin rising.

The flight instructor reported that at this point, he took over control and applied back stick pressure. However, the airflow over the elevator flight control surface was too slow to be effective, and the airplane nosed over. The aircraft came to rest inverted on the runway.

Aircraft Damage

The left-wing lift strut and rudder sustained substantial damage. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The investigation did not specify any injuries or the involvement of air traffic control. Additionally, the type of tailwheel airplane, its registration, and the specific location of the incident were not disclosed in the source report.

Contributing factors

Landing flare — Not attained/maintainedStudent/instructed pilotInstructor/check pilotResponse/compensation