No fatalities

Tailwheel Airplane Nosed Over During Landing Roll on Dry Lakebed

Jean, NV, United States

On January 22, 2020, a PIPER PA-18 REPLICA No Series was involved in an aviation accident near Jean, NV. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadvertent application of the brakes during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A tailwheel-equipped airplane nosed over during a landing roll on a dry lakebed after the pilot inadvertently applied the brakes, causing substantial damage to the right wing and rudder.

Incident Overview and Damage Assessment A pilot operating a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that the aircraft nosed over during a landing roll on a dry lakebed. The pilot stated that the landing roll was otherwise uneventful, but he inadvertently applied the brakes, which resulted in the nose-over. The incident caused substantial damage to the right wing and the rudder of the aircraft. ## Mechanical Condition and Pilot Report The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The source does not provide the aircraft type, registration, date, operator, location, or a formal cause determination.

Contributing factors

PilotUnintentional use/operation