Piper PA-18-150 accident near Three Forks, Montana, March 16, 2000
On March 16, 2000 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N2873Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Three Forks, Montana (Three Forks 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the tailwheel equipped airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 2000 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Three Forks, Montana · Three Forks · 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
- N2873Z · registry record · serial 18-70-36
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot performed a 'stall' landing onto the aircraft's main gear, and then lowered the tailwheel to the ground after about 50 to 100 feet. According to the pilot, once the tailwheel was on the runway surface, it felt as if he had slight left brake applied, and the aircraft began drifting to the left. The pilot applied right rudder, but initially the aircraft kept drifting to the left. During his attempt to return the aircraft to the center of the runway, the airplane groundlooped to the right resulting in a collapsed of the left main landing gear. A post-accident inspection revealed no anomalies or malfunctions in the directional control systems or brake system. According to the pilot, the '...bottom line was failure to maintain directional control.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,015 hours in all; 784 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 878 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BZN Bozeman MT at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 9S5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 5,100 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°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.
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.