# Accident 19990421003849A: Piper PA18, King Salmon, AK, April 21, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 21, 1999, 22:10 local time - Place: King Salmon, AK - Airport: King Salmon - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 58.7505° N, 156.5402° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=58.7505&lon=-156.5402&mi=10 - Aircraft: N1389A, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N1389A) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-18 (registry code 7101802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-290 series (registry code 41506, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-290-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA18 - Reported engine: LYC O320A2A - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 130 total, 20 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC99LA054](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA054) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990421003849A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT CRASHED ON LANDING AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (.19) ON APRIL 21, 1999, ABOUT 2210 ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME, A TUNDRA TIRE, TAILWHEEL EQUIPPED PIPER PA-18 AIRPLANE, N1389A, RECIEVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHILE LANDING ON RUNWAY 29 AT THE KING SALMON AIRPORT, KING SALMON, ALASKA. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT, AND THE ONE PASSENGER ABOARD WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING OPERATED AS A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT UNDER TITLE 14, CFR PART 91, WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITOINS PREVAILED, AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE FLIGHT LAST DEPARTED MERRILL FIELD, ANCHORAGE, ALASKA, ABOUT 1900, AND THE DESTINATION WAS THE KING SALMON AIRPORT. DURING A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD, INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE ON APRIL 22, THE PILOT STATED THAT THE TOUCHDOWN AND THE LANDING ROLL WERE UNEVENTFUL, UNTIL THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE VEERED SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT. HE SAID HE COMPENSATED BY APPLYING RIGHT RUDDER, BUT THE AIRPLANE SUDDENLY GROUND-LOOPED TO THE LEFT. HE STATED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED, AND THE RIGHT WING COLLIDED WITH THE RUNWAY DURING THE GROUND LOOP. HE STATED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED, AND THE RIGHT WING COLLIDED WITH THE RUNWAY DURING THE GROUND LOOP. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING, AND RIGHT WING STRUTS. THE PILOT NOTED THAT THERE WERE NO PREACCIDENT MECHANICAL ANOMALIES WITH THE AIRPLANE. (.4) THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT WAS LANDING A TUNDRA TIRE, TAILWHEEL EQUIPPED AIRPLANE, ON A PAVED DRY RUNWAY. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE TOUCHDOWN AND THE LANDING ROLL WERE UNEVENTFUL, UNTIL THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE VEERED SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT. HE SAID HE COMPENSATED BY APPLYING RIGHT RUDDER, BUT THE AIRPLANE SUDDENLY GROUND LOOPED TO THE LEFT. HE STATED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED, AND THE RIGHT WING COLLIDED WITH THE RUNWAY DURING THE GROUND LOOP. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING, AND RIGHT WING STRUTS. THE PILOT NOTED THAT THERE WERE NO PREACCIDENT MECHANICAL ANOMALIES WITH THE AIRPLANE. (-23) ON APRIL 21, 1999, ABOUT 2210 ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME, A TUNDRA TIRE, TAILWHEEL EQUIPPED PIPER PA-18 AIRPLANE, N1389A, RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHILE LANDING ON RUNWAY 29 AT THE KING SALMON AIRPORT, KING SALMON, AK. THE CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT, AND THE ONE PASSENGER ABOARD WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING OPERATED AS A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT UNDER TITLE 14, CFR PART 91, WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. VMC PREVAILED, AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED MERRILL FIELD, ANCHORAGE, AK, ABOUT 1900, AND THE DESTINATION WAS THE KING SALMON AIRPORT. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE TOUCHDOWN AND THE LANDING ROLL WERE UNEVENTFUL, UNTIL THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE VEERED SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT. THE PILOT APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER, BUT THE AIRPLANE SUDDENLY GROUND LOOPED TO THE LEFT. HE STATED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED, AND THE RIGHT WING AND THE PROPELLER COLLIDED WITH THE RUNWAY DURING THE GROUND LOOP. SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT WING AND CONTROLS. NO PRECEDENT ANOMALIES WERE NOTED. AIRCRAFT WAS IN ANNUAL (11/9/98). ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ANC99LA054](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA054), Apr 22, 1999: Piper PA-18 (N1389A), King Salmon, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control. A factor associated with the accident was an inadvertent ground loop. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.