Piper PA18 accident near Llano, Texas, June 21, 2018
On June 21, 2018 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1958 Piper PA18, registered N9496D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Llano, Texas (Llano Muni airport). It was an instructional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's receiving instruction’s improper landing flare and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 2018 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Llano, Texas · Llano Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA18, built 1958 · all PA18s on the register
- Registration
- N9496D · registry record · serial 18-6748
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot receiving instruction in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during landing, the airplane touched down abruptly. He added that he taxied to the edge of the runway and saw that the airplane was leaning left. The flight instructor reported that the pilot leveled off about 3 ft above the ground and allowed the airspeed to decrease. He added that he instructed the pilot to add power to "cushion the landing" and that the pilot attempted to do so, but the airplane continued to decelerate until it aerodynamically stalled and landed hard on the left main landing gear. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during landing defining event
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,456 hours in all; 1,252 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 11,359 as pilot in command; 8,048 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,826 hours in all; 1.2 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,346.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 29, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 632 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AQO Llano TX at 2:50 pm
- Destination: AQO Llano TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,209 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from KAQO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N9496D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 GAA18CA583.