No fatalities

17 Sep 2019: Piper PA18 150 — Mountain Aviation Corp — New Meadows, ID

New Meadows, ID, United States

On 17 Sep 2019, a Piper PA18 150 operated by Mountain Aviation Corp was involved in an aviation accident near New Meadows, ID. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot receiving instruction's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff with a gusting, right quartering headwind, which resulted in a noseover. 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 touch and go takeoff from a grass runway, a tailwheel airplane veered left, the tail rose, and it nosed over despite the instructor's corrective input. Substantial damage occurred to the rudder.

Accident Details

A flight instructor reported that, during a touch and go takeoff from a grass strip, the tailwheel-equipped airplane veered to the left and the tail came up. The instructor was providing instruction, and the pilot receiving instruction was on the controls. The instructor applied right rudder input, but the airplane nosed over.

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the rudder of the airplane.

Mechanical Condition

The flight instructor stated that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Weather Conditions

An automated weather observation station located 9 nautical miles from the accident airport reported that, around the time of the accident, the wind was from 200° at 12 knots, gusting to 18 knots. The flight instructor reported that the wind was shifting from west to southwest at about 8 to 12 knots, gusting to 12 knots. The airplane had landed on runway 14.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedStudent/instructed pilotEffect on operation