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WPR21LA137

2021-03-17 · Three Forks, Montana, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 9S5

Current FAA registration · N82479

Make / Model
PIPER PA-18-150
Year of manufacture
1977 · 44 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19770712
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AB4326

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a loss of directional control, runway excursion and impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot in the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, during the landing, the airplane bounced, and he was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane departed the runway and impacted a berm. The right wing impacted the ground and was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_WPR21LA137.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers