Piper PA-18 REPLICA accident near Jean, Nevada, January 22, 2020
On January 22, 2020 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 2019 Piper PA-18 REPLICA, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N944KM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Jean, Nevada. It was a personal 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
The pilot's inadvertent application of the brakes during the landing roll, which resulted in a nose-over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 2020 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jean, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18 REPLICA No Series, built 2019, amateur-built · all PA-18 REPLICAs on the register
- Registration
- N944KM · registry record · serial JA1705106
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during an uneventful landing roll on a dry lakebed, he inadvertently applied the brakes, and the airplane nosed over. The right wing and rudder sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Unintentional use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,051 hours in all; 48 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 19, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 43 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 31, 2019; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-EXO (piston); 43 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VGT Las Vegas NV
- Destination: Jean NV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KVGT, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 5, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.