Piper PA-18-150 accident near Reno, Nevada, January 5, 2002
On January 5, 2002 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N83517, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno/Tahoe 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 failed to maintain directional control resulting in an inadvertent ground loop. A contributing factor was the tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 5, 2002 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno/Tahoe · 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 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N83517 · registry record · serial 18-7709062
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane ground looped during routine pattern work. The pilot made one successful touch-and-go landing. About 300 feet from touchdown, he noticed he was experiencing a quartering left tailwind. He considered performing a wheel landing with partial flaps, but decided to make a full stall landing with full flaps. The touchdown was good, but during the landing roll the airplane began to veer to the right. He applied left rudder, but got no response. He then applied more left rudder and some left brake. The airplane immediately veered left at an angle of 45 degrees to the runway centerline. He reacted with right rudder and brake and the airplane turned to the right so that it was pointed 30 degrees to the right of the centerline. As the airplane reached the centerline, the airplane ground looped. The left axle broke and the left spar sustained substantial damage.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,309 hours in all; 233 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 25, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,197 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 5, 2001; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RNO Reno NV at 6:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16L, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.38 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from RNO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.