Amateur-built PA-18 REPLICA accident near Sandy Valley, Nevada, March 12, 2023
On March 12, 2023 at about 10:30 pm local time, a 2021 amateur-built PA-18 REPLICA, registered N127MF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Sandy Valley, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during an off airport precautionary landing on soft soil, 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
- March 12, 2023 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sandy Valley, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built PA-18 REPLICA, built 2021
- Registration
- N127MF · registry record · serial JA1906132
- 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 cruise flight, he observed an increase of cylinder head temperature along with “abnormal engine operation” and decided to make a precautionary landing, off airport. During the landing roll in the tailwheel equipped airplane, the right main tire “sunk” in the soil and the tail of the airplane began to rise. Despite the pilot’s control inputs, the tail continued to rise, and the airplane nosed over coming to rest inverted. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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 (landing roll) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 23,000 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 10, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 155 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, February 22, 2023; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Titan OX-360 (piston); 155 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3L2 Sandy Valley NV at 10:50 pm
- Destination: KVGT Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 3000.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:30 pm from KHND, 27 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KHND 122056Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 21/01 A3000
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 April 27, 2023. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 1 page | 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.