20110716018039I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-18-150 · Palmer, AK · July 16, 2011

Date
July 16, 2011 · 13:40 local
Place
Palmer, AK
Airport
Na
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4040Z
Reported as
Piper PA-18-150
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
210 total210 in this make and model40 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The pilot in command of a wheel equipped airplane, was conducting a maneuver popularly known as water skipping to an off airport landing site/river side gravel bar. His intent was to land on the water short of the gravel bar, then roll up onto it and stop. However, the PIC allowed the airplanes wheels to penetrate the rivers surface too deeply. The resulting high drag and rapid deceleration forces caused the airplane to rotate forward and over, ultimately coming to a stop on its nose, partially submerged in the river. Note: the NTSB noted but did not investigate this event. Consequently it did not assign an NTSB id number to it.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT IN COMMAND OF A WHEEL EQUIPPED AIRPLANE, WAS CONDUCTING A MANEUVER POPULARLY KNOWN AS WATER SKIPPING TO AN OFF AIRPORT LANDING SITE/RIVER SIDE GRAVEL BAR. HIS INTENT WAS TO LAND ON THE WATER SHORT OF THE GRAVEL BAR, THEN ROLL UP ONTO IT AND STOP. HOWEVER, THE PIC ALLOWED THE AIRPLANES WHEELS TO PENETRATE THE RIVERS SURFACE TOO DEEPLY. THE RESULTING HIGH DRAG AND RAPID DECELERATION FORCES CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO ROTATE FORWARD AND OVER, ULTIMATELY COMING TO A STOP ON ITS NOSE, PARTIALLY SUBMERGED IN THE RIVER. NOTE: THE NTSB NOTED BUT DID NOT INVESTIGATE THIS EVENT. CONSEQUENTLY IT DID NOT ASSIGN AN NTSB ID NUMBER TO IT.