Piper PA 18-150 accident near La Quinta, California, April 17, 2015
On April 17, 2015 at about 11:15 pm local time, a 1961 Piper PA 18-150, registered N162SC, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near La Quinta, California. It was a banner-towing flight 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
Maintenance personnel’s failure to properly repair a propeller deformation, which resulted in a fatigue crack, separation of a propeller blade tip, and forced landing onto uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2015 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- La Quinta, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 18-150 A150, built 1961 · all PA 18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N162SC · no longer on the register · serial 18-7759
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Banner-towing flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that, while orbiting during a banner tow flight, the airplane began to shake violently and lose altitude. The pilot reduced power to idle, which alleviated the violent shaking, and released the banner over an empty fairway at a golf course. While advancing the throttle after dropping the banner, he noted that the severe vibration returned, and the airplane was unable to maintain altitude. The pilot selected the next empty fairway as a forced landing site, but the landing area had significant elevation changes. The airplane touched down on a plateau and could not be stopped before reaching a large drop-off. The airplane bounced before contacting the ground sideways and came to rest inverted. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that a piece of one propeller blade tip had separated; this piece was not located. The fracture likely originated from a fatigue crack in a deformed area on the propeller blade. Marks consistent with use of an orbital grinder overlapped hand finishing lines in the deformed material, suggesting multiple machining operations were employed during overhaul/repair of the propeller, none of which fully removed the deformed material. The airplane had flown about 66 hours since the last recorded inspection; no inspection or overhaul entry specified any work on a propeller blade deformation.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during maneuvering defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Maintenance personnel
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Sloped/uneven terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,123 hours in all; 756 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,025 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 5, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,762 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 23, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UDD Bermuda Dunes CA at 10:31 pm
- Destination: UDD Bermuda Dunes CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from KTRM, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.