Piper PA-18-150 accident near Ely, Nevada, July 14, 2003
On July 14, 2003 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N8991Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ely, Nevada. It was an instructional flight under public-use (government) rules. 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 failure to maintain proper alignment with the road and the CFI's failure to adequately supervise the second pilot's landing and his delayed remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 2003 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ely, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N8991Y · registry record · serial 18-7409133
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While landing on a gravel road the airplane veered off the road's surface, encountered a ditch, and nosed over. During the airplane checkout flight, the certified flight instructor (CFI) authorized the second pilot, who was handling the flight controls, to land on a gravel road. The wind was calm. As the airplane decelerated during the landing rollout, the second pilot failed to maintain the airplane's alignment with the road thus allowing the right main landing gear wheel to roll over the runway's edge. Thereafter, directional control was lost. During the mishap sequence, the CFI had attempted corrective action by applying rudder pressure after the second pilot had already applied rudder pressure. By the time he responded to correct the airplane's course, it had already drifted toward the edge of the runway. When the CFI attempted to regain control by increasing engine power, he found that the second pilot had already opened the engine's throttle. The airplane veered off the road, into a ditch, and nosed over.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,513 hours in all; 5,500 in this make and model; 162 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 9,313 as pilot in command; 831 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 13, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 7,383 hours in all; 460 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 7,222 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 19, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,513 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 13, 2003; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C4P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ELY Ely NV at 3:30 pm
- Destination: Ely NV
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from ELY, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 LAX03TA233.