Piper PA-18 accident near Prescott, Arizona, December 16, 2003
On December 16, 2003 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18, registered N4380T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prescott, Arizona (Ernest A. Love Field 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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the tail wheel equipped airplane during landing, which resulted in a ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 2003 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Prescott, Arizona · Ernest A. Love Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 · all PA-18s on the register
- Registration
- N4380T · no longer on the register · serial 18-2679
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tail wheel equipped airplane sustained substantial damage when it ground looped during the landing roll. During touchdown, the pilot completed a full stall three-point landing directly over the runway centerline. After touchdown, with the throttle at idle, the airplane rolled approximately 20 to 30 feet when the right wing lifted up. The airplane's right main landing gear lifted up from the runway and the pilot input right aileron and right rudder. His corrections were too small to counteract the left veer and the airplane ground looped to the left in a counterclockwise, 180-degree turn. The wing spar of the airplane sustained structural damage. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane were reported.
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: 250 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 19AZ Camp Verde AZ
- Destination: PRC Prescott AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21L
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.45 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 am from PRC
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.
Other NTSB records under N4380T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.