Piper PA-18-150 accident near Mesa, Arizona, November 6, 2004
On November 6, 2004 at about 7:29 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N6854P, was destroyed in an accident near Mesa, Arizona (Falcon Fld airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to obtain and maintain an adequate airspeed during the takeoff initial climb, which resulted in a stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 2004 · about 7:29 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · Falcon Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N6854P · no longer on the register · serial 18-7447
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane entered a departure stall in the takeoff initial climb and impacted the ground on the ramp underneath a wing of a parked airplane. The airplane had been participating in a fly-in at the airport on the day of the accident. During the air show the pilot had placed his airplane on static display and was also going to offer rides in the airplane for a fee. The accident occurred on the first flight of the day with a passenger onboard. A compilation of witnesses observed the airplane liftoff at a steep pitch angle after a short ground run. About 100 feet above the ground the airplane started to turn to the left and the left wing and nose dropped. The airplane rotated 180 degrees to its direction of takeoff and collided with the ground, coming to rest underneath the wing of a parked airplane. The airframe and engine were inspected with no mechanical anomalies noted 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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,925 hours in all; 87 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,767.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A22 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 7:29 pm
- Destination: FFZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04R, 3,799 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:29 pm from FFZ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N6854P 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.