Piper PA-18-105 accident near Cullman, Alabama, August 26, 2000
On August 26, 2000 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-105, registered N239NA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cullman, Alabama (Folsom Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the aircraft during the landing rollout, which resulted in a ground swerve, and the aircraft exiting the runway and incurring substantial damage when it collided with a dirt bank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2000 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cullman, Alabama · Folsom Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-105 · all PA-18-105s on the register
- Registration
- N239NA · no longer on the register · serial 18-2384
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that during the landing rollout she applied left rudder but the airplane veered to the left and right again. She further stated that she then applied full power to attempt to make the airplane fly, and affect a go-around, but it veered even more, and exited the runway into a ditch, and collided with the dirt bank at full power. The pilot also said that prior to the accident, there had been no mechanical malfunction or failure to the aircraft or any of its systems.
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: 245 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,577 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 6, 1999; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3A1 at 10:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from HSV, 24 miles away
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.