Piper PA-18-150 accident near Chandler, Arizona, November 17, 1986
On November 17, 1986 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N4101E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chandler, Arizona (Chandler airport). It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 1986 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · Chandler · 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
- N4101E · registry record · serial 18-7809068
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT THE END OF A LOCAL PLEASURE FLIGHT, THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A DOWNWIND LANDING BY FOLLOWING OTHER TRAFFIC IN THE PATTERN. DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE LEFT WING LIFTED. THE PILOT CORRECTED BY MOVING THE CONTROL STICK TO THE LEFT. AT THAT TIME, THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE AND THE RIGHT WING LIFTED. THE PILOT THEN CORRECTED BY MOVING THE CONTROL TO THE RIGHT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN HARD ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO APPLY BRAKES WHEN THE AIRCRAFT GROUND LOOPED & WAS DAMAGED.
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: 258 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 152 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,656 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1986; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P10 Chandler AZ at 4:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 4,395 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N4101E 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.