Piper PA 18A 150 accident near Leeds, Utah, June 4, 2014
On June 4, 2014 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1954 Piper PA 18A 150, registered N1672P, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Leeds, Utah (Private 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to confirm the flaps had been retracted during takeoff, which resulted in a loss of lift and subsequent collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 2014 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Leeds, Utah · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 18A 150, built 1954 · all PA 18A 150s on the register
- Registration
- N1672P · registry record · serial 18-3801
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had been familiarizing himself with the operation of the tailwheel-equipped airplane in preparation for utilizing it to provide flight training. During the 2-week period leading up to the accident he had practiced multiple takeoffs, landings, and touch-and-go landings, many of which were performed at the accident airstrip. The pilot reported that he had requested that a volunteer sit in the front seat, so he could familiarize himself with flying from the rear seat. After an uneventful flight, they performed a touch-and-go landing on the dirt airstrip, however, during climb-out the airplane began to rapidly sink. The pilot reported that he asked the passenger to retract the flaps, because the control was positioned next to the front seat. The pilot applied forward elevator control attempting to gain airspeed, but the airplane continued to sink. He elected to perform an off-airport landing on a dirt road just beyond the runway; however, during the landing roll the right wing struck a ditch and sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the passenger had not retracted the flaps as the pilot had instructed and they were in the fully extended position. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine 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
- Miscellaneous/other during takeoff defining event
- Loss of lift during takeoff
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › TE flap control system › Unintentional use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Passenger
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,032 hours in all; 111 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 5,695 as pilot in command; 59 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 20, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,884 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 3, 2014; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 3,884 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1L8 Hurricane UT at 5:35 pm
- Destination: NA Leeds UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from KSGU, 14 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR14CA228.