Piper PA18 accident near Tompkinsville, Kentucky, November 4, 2023
On November 4, 2023 at about 7:20 pm local time, a 1963 Piper PA18, registered N4056Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Tompkinsville, Kentucky (Tompkinsville/Monroe County airport). It was a personal 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
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the approach, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 2023 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Tompkinsville, Kentucky · Tompkinsville/Monroe County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA18 150, built 1963 · all PA18s on the register
- Registration
- N4056Z · registry record · serial 18-8064
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing an emergency descent and landing when he deployed full wing flaps and descended to the touchdown point. About 10 to 15 ft above ground level, the airplane encountered a rapid sink rate that he failed to arrest. The airplane touched down hard, and the fuselage was substantially damaged. The pilot stated that, upon reflection, if he had added the power and extended the airplane’s glide path, he might have been in a better position for landing; however, he allowed the airplane to get “too slow.” The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,506 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 3,307 as pilot in command; 1,312 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 2, 2023
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,244 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 2, 2023; 0.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 715 hours total
- Operator: G & L Airborne INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 9 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.16 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 pm from GLW, 23 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KGLW 041915Z AUTO 24009G17KT 10SM CLR 21/06 A3016 RMK AO2 T02110061
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 4, 2024. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 5 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 N4056Z 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.