No fatalities

PIPER PA-18 accident at Lake Placid, FL, 10 Feb 2021

Lake Placid, FL, United States

On February 10, 2021, a PIPER PA-18 was involved in an aviation accident near Lake Placid, FL. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to ensure that the aft seat cushion was adequately secured, which resulted in its movement, subsequent interference with the flight controls, and a hard landing. 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

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to ensure that the aft seat cushion was adequately secured, which resulted in its movement, subsequent interference with the flight controls, and a hard landing.

— NTSB Determination

Contributing factors

PilotControl column section