Piper PA 18A accident near Wheatland, Wyoming, March 30, 2014
On March 30, 2014 at about 4:15 pm local time, a 1955 Piper PA 18A, registered N1952P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Wheatland, Wyoming. It was an instructional 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 front seat pilot's excessive approach speed and subsequent brake application during the landing which resulted in a nose-over. Contributing to the accident was the instructor's failure to maintain situational awareness.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 2014 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Wheatland, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 18A 105SPECIAL, built 1955 · all PA 18As on the register
- Registration
- N1952P · registry record · serial 18-4178
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor/owner and pilot rated passenger departed the local airport in a tailwheel-equipped airplane, to inspect ranch property and livestock. The flight instructor was in the rear seat of the tandem cockpit airplane. The pilots planned to land in a pasture to check on livestock, and the pilot in the front seat was on the controls. They agreed on a suitable landing area, and during the approach the instructor's forward visibility was limited, and he failed to see that they were carrying excess airspeed and had progressed too far down the airstrip for a normal landing. The front-seat pilot, seeing the end of the airstrip approaching rapidly, applied the brakes sharply. The instructor directed the pilot to "relax" and allow the tail to settle. The brakes abruptly grabbed a second time and the tail came up sharply, causing the propeller to strike the ground. The airplane slid on its nose, veered left, and flipped onto its back. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
What happened, in order
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Surface speed/braking › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Situational awareness › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 14,225 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 83 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 11,612 as pilot in command; 537 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 15, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,855 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 2,520 as pilot in command; 653 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 15, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,022 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 14, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 1,983 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KEAN Wheatland WY at 3:45 pm
- Destination: KEAN Wheatland WY
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.60 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.