Piper PA 18-150 accident near Labelle, Florida, August 21, 2015
On August 21, 2015 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 1957 Piper PA 18-150, registered N18LP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Labelle, Florida (La Belle Muni airport). It was a personal 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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose over and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 21, 2015 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Labelle, Florida · La Belle Muni · 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, built 1957 · all PA 18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N18LP · registry record · serial 18-5501
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that he touched down in the grass adjacent to the paved runway. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered a low spot in the runway with about 3 to 4 inches of standing water. The wheels dug into the terrain and the airplane nosed over coming to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder, horizontal stabilizer, and left wing strut. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he should make it standard practice to make an inspection pass of the runway whenever he is landing on turf to determine the condition of the runway.
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
- Airport occurrence during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Wet › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,700 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 3,570 as pilot in command; 280 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 23, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 4, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 4,100 hours total
- Operator: Low & Slow Aviation Ventures LLC
The flight
- Departed from: FMY Fort Myers FL at 5:45 pm
- Destination: X14 Labelle FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 5,254 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:36 pm from KRSW, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number GAA15CA254.