Piper PA-18A-150 accident near North Plains, Oregon, August 20, 2000
On August 20, 2000 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-18A-150, registered N6985D, was substantially damaged in an accident near North Plains, Oregon (North Plains Gliderport airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive use of brakes. Contributing factors were the pilot's misjudgment of distance/speed (landing long and fast) and lack of experience in the make/model of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2000 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- North Plains, Oregon · North Plains Gliderport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18A-150 · all PA-18A-150s on the register
- Registration
- N6985D · registry record · serial 18-5514
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was executing a wheel landing in the PA-18A-150 following his return from a glider tow operation. Witnesses at the airport reported that the aircraft landed long on the westerly runway (approximately 1,200 feet beyond the threshold of the 2,200 foot long grass/turf strip), and was also fast. During the landing roll the aircraft nosed over. The pilot and an FAA inspector reported finding no mechanical malfunction with the aircraft. The pilot reported a total of 2 hours of flight experience in the make/model aircraft.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 673 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 571 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 11, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1OR4 at 8:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from HIO, 5 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.