N8451Y – PIPER PA-18-150 – 2012-04-20 NTSB Accident Report

On April 20, 2012, a Piper PA-18-150 (N8451Y) was involved in an incident near Sierraville, CA. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot did not maintain directional control during the landing roll.

The pilot had just performed two uneventful practice landings in the tail-wheel equipped airplane. For the third attempt, he performed a three-point landing, and the airplane began to drift left. He countered with full engine power, and the airplane drifted beyond the runway edge. The landing gear then struck a berm, and the airplane bounced into the air, snagging a barbed wire fence. The main landing gear subsequently dug into the earth, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and both wings during the accident sequence. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR12CA177. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8451Y.