Piper PA-18-150 accident near Erie, Colorado, July 8, 2000
On July 8, 2000 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N4785F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Erie, Colorado (Tri-County Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Aircraft control was not possible by the flight instructor due to the inadequate maintenance adjustment of the tail wheel steering system by maintenance personnel. Factors were the inadequate aircraft preflight by the second pilot who was receiving a recurrency check ride, and the inadequate supervision, of the second pilot who was performing the preflight, by the flight instructor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 2000 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Erie, Colorado · Tri-County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N4785F · registry record · serial 18-7906
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot receiving instruction performed a three-point landing, and the airplane bounced. The airplane immediately veered to the right following the second touchdown. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and applied full left rudder; the airplane exited the right side of the runway and ground looped. Postaccident examination of the tail wheel steering assembly revealed that the two chains/springs that controlled the tail wheel steering had an estimated 1 1/2 inches of slack in them. The steering chain was being held together by a 'carabiner.' A maintenance person said that the chains and springs connected to the tail wheel steering assembly 'should be tight enough to give the pilot positive steering control.' The maintenance records indicate that the airplane had accumulated approximately 4 flight hours since major rebuild.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 2,350 as pilot in command; 950 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1V5 Boulder CO at 3:30 pm
- Destination: 48V
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 4,700 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 80 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:09 pm from BJC, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N4785F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.