Amateur-built REPLICA PA18 accident near Braham, Minnesota, May 21, 2016
On May 21, 2016 at about 9:20 pm local time, a 2013 amateur-built REPLICA PA18, registered N419JC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Braham, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 2016 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Braham, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built REPLICA PA18 NO SERIES, built 2013
- Registration
- N419JC · no longer on the register · serial TC0611003
- 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 during landing on a grass field on a farm, when he applied the brakes the airplane immediately pitched forward and nosed over. He further reported that "the combination of long grass and braking created a forward momentum that he could not recover from." A postaccident examination revealed substantial damage to the empennage. According to the pilot, there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine 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
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › (general) › Decision related to condition
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Surface speed/braking › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,925 hours in all; 231 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 24, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: minor injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 204 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 5, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 2,084 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MN58 Hastings MN at 8:30 pm
- Destination: Braham MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 9:18 pm from KJMR, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 26, 2016. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.