Piper PA-18-150 accident near Wolf Point, Montana, May 30, 1987
On May 30, 1987 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N9128D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wolf Point, Montana (Hanks Grass Strip airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 1987 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Wolf Point, Montana · Hanks Grass Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N9128D · registry record · serial 18-6509
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ON APPROACH TO HIS PRIVATE STRIP AT APPROXIAMTELY 25 FEET AGL WHEN THE AIRCRAFT STALLED. THE AIRCRAFT DROPPED ONTO THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT ADDED FULL POWER ATTEMPTING TO RECOVER, THE LEFT WING DIPPED AND STRUCK THE GROUND.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 619 hours in all; 578 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 578 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,612 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 20, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 N9128D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9128D on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub 3,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,842 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A 9 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,041 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N9128D 3 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN87LA139.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.