# Accident 19990811012269A: Piper PA18, Skwentna, AK, August 11, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 11, 1999, 12:30 local time - Place: Skwentna, AK - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 61.9297° N, 151.7309° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.9297&lon=-151.7309&mi=10 - Aircraft: N221BC, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N221BC) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-18 (registry code 7101802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA18 - Reported engine: LYC O320A1A - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 220 total - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ANC99LA117](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA117) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990811012269A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ACFT CRASHED ON LANDING. (.19) ON AUGUST 11, 1999, ABOUT 1230 ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME, A WHEEL EQUIPPED PIPER PA-18 AIRPLANE, N221BC, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING LANDING AT A REMOTE AIRSTRIP, ABOUT 12 MILES NORTH OF SKWENTNA, ALASKA, ABOUT LATITUDE 62 DEGREES, 10 MINUTES NORTH, AND LONGITUDE 151 DEGREES, 00 MINUTES NORTH. THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING OPERATED AS A VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) CROSS-COUNTRY PERSONAL FLIGHT WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED BY THE PILOT. THE PRIVATE CERTIFICATED PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT THE BIRCHWOOD AIRPORT, CHUGIAK, ALASKA, ABOUT 1050. DURING A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION WITH THE NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB) INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE (IIC), ON AUGUST 16, 1999, THE PILOT REPORTED HE INTENDED TO LAND AND INSPECT SOME PERSONAL PROPERTY AT THE ACCIDENT LOCATION. AN AIRSTRIP, ABOUT 1,150 FEET LONG, AND 150 FEET WIDE, HAD BEEN IN USE SEVERAL YEARS AGO, BUT OVER TIME HAD BECOME SLIGHTLY OVERGROWN WITH BUSHES. THE PILOT SAID HE MADE SEVERAL PASSES OVER THE STRIP TO CHECK FOR HAZARDS AND ASSESS ITS SUITABILITY FOR USE. THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND AND TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE TAIL WHEEL FIRST. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRES THEN CONTACTED SEVERAL BUSHES THAT WERE TALLER THAN THE PILOT ANTICIPATED. THE AIRPLANE THEN NOSED OVER, AND RECEIVED DAMAGE TO THE VERTICAL STABILIZER, THE RUDDER, AND WINGS RIBS ON BOTH WINGS. (-23) ON AUGUST 11, 1999, AT ABOUT 1230 ALASKA DAYLIGHT TIME, A WHEEL EQUIPPED PIPER PA-18 AIRCRAFT, N221BC, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING LANDING AT A REMOTE AIRSTRIP. THE AIRMAN INDICATED HE MADE SEVERAL PASSES OVER THE 1,150 FOOT LONG STRIP TO CHECK FOR HAZARDS. THE AIRMAN DECIDED TO LAND AND UPON TOUCHDOWN THE MAIN LANDING GEAR CONTACTED SEVERAL BUSHES THAT WERE TALLER THAN THE PILOT PREVIOUSLY ANTICIPATED. THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER AND THE PILOT WHO WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT WAS UNINJURED. (.4) THE PRIVATE CERTIFICATED PILOT WAS LANDING AT A REMOTE AIRSTRIP TO INSPECT SOME PERSONAL PROPERTY AT THE ACCIDENT LOCATION. THE AIRSTRIP, ABOUT 1,150 FEET LONG, AND 150 FEET WIDE, HAD BEEN IN USE SEVERAL YEARS AGO, BUT OVER TIME HAD BECOME SLIGHTLY OVERGROWN WITH BUSHES. THE PILOT SAID HE MADE SEVERAL PASSES OVER THE STRIP TO CHECK FOR HAZARDS AND ASSESS ITS SUITABILI TY FOR USE. THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND TOWARD THE WEST, AND TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE TAIL WHEEL FIRST. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRES THEN CONTACTED SEVERAL BUSHES THAT WERE TALLER THAN THE PILOT ANTICIPATED. THE AIRPLANE THEN NOSED OVER, AND RECEIVED DAMAGE TO THE VERTICAL STABILIZER, THE RUDDER, AND WING RIBS ON BOTH WINGS. ## 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 ANC99LA117](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC99LA117), Aug 11, 1999: Piper PA-18 (N221BC), Skwentna, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing. A factor was high vegetation. 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.