Crash location | 39.582223°N, 120.351944°W |
Nearest city | Sierraville, CA
39.589626°N, 120.367430°W 1.0 miles away |
Tail number | N8451Y |
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Accident date | 20 Apr 2012 |
Aircraft type | Piper PA-18-150 |
Additional details: | None |
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.
The pilot did not maintain directional control during the landing roll.