NTSB MKC85LA018 — 1984-11-07 · ALGONA, Iowa, United States

Current FAA registration · N4312Z

Make / Model: PIPER PA-18-150
Year of manufacture: 1967 · 17 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines: 2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19720426
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A5298B

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N4312Z Piper PA-18-150 None

Factual narrative

AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL AFTER TAKEOFF, ENG LOST PWR. PLT ATTEMPTED TO CIRCLE TO LAND ON CLOSEST RUNWAY BUT ENG WAS DEVELOPING INSUFFICIENT PWR TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE IN TURN. ACFT TOUCHED DOWN 150 FT SHORT OF THRESHOLD. PLT DID NOT LEVEL WINGS PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. INVESTIGATION REVEALED FLAME TUBE IN MUFFLER DISINTEGRATED & FRAGMENTS BLOCKED EXHAUST. ACFT ANNUAL INSPECTION PERFORMED 30 FLT HRS PRIOR TO MISHAP. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1984_MKC85LA018.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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