Piper PA-18-135 accident near Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico, April 13, 2014
On April 13, 2014 at about 9:40 pm local time, a 1952 Piper PA-18-135, registered N2875D, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico. It was a positioning 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 pilot’s improper fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 2014 · about 9:40 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-135, built 1952 · all PA-18-135s on the register
- Registration
- N2875D · registry record · serial 18-1931
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, following an uneventful banner-tow flight, he was returning the airplane to its home operating base when the engine began losing power. The pilot's attempts to restore engine power were unsuccessful, and he subsequently performed a forced landing to a forested area, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed that, despite the damage that the airframe incurred during the accident, both main wing fuel tanks remained intact. The fuel tanks and the fuel system were found absent of fuel. Examination of the engine revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level other cases naming the fuel system
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 720 hours in all; 285 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 690 as pilot in command; 155 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,782 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 11, 2014; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,349 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Yellow Media Group
The flight
- Departed from: TJPS Mercedita Airpo PR at 5:00 pm
- Destination: TJIG San Juan PR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from TJSJ, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on November 20, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 18 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Summary of Correspondence with FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N2875D 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
- N2875D 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 44,848 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B 179 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Mercedita Airport · departed from
- Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Puerto Rico 282 since 1982 · 33 in the last ten years
- Puerto Rico 492 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N2875D 1 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/ERA14LA198.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.